


TomCat 2

by Snowy38



Series: Thief Louis [2]
Category: Harry Styles - Fandom, Larry Stylinson - Fandom, Louis Tomlinson - Fandom, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, CEO Harry, Character Death, Fighting, Fluff and Smut, Guns, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mexico, Pro Thief Louis, Shooting, Torture, Violence, kidnap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-13
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-14 19:51:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 24,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7187750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowy38/pseuds/Snowy38
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Hey," Louis cupped Harry's face, thumbs pressing into the hinges of his jaw gently. "It's just this once, remember?"</p><p>Harry nodded but it wasn't really in acceptance.</p><p>"I thought you said it was okay," Louis added softly, not wanting it to sound like an accusation.</p><p>"I thought it was too," Harry murmured. "Until I saw what you have to do and then-"</p><p>"I cleared it," Louis ran his hands down Harry's arms to squeeze his hands. "And we make ours harder than the real thing."</p><p>"But Mexico?" Harry whined.</p><p>Louis arched a delicate brow.</p><p>"If I can survive sharks and jungles I think I can survive Mexico," he mused.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I forgot to add a hello note! So, hello!
> 
> Whilst this story is evidently based in fantasy I have done extensive research on both Mexico and the spy game to ensure it is as realistic as possible in my depictions.
> 
> Ang

 

Part 1

 

It had been some time since Louis had dangled from support wires, avoiding the laser-beams protecting an artefact that he was staging the theft of to protect the real treasure.

 

It had been his area of expertise when he was still in the heist game but some things were never forgotten. Like riding a bicycle, Louis remembered the exact balance required to expertly hover mid-air while the harness crossed over his chest and pulled up tightly in the crease of his thighs.

 

He hadn't missed that part, exactly.

 

As he seamlessly lifted the dummy votive off the pedestal- having disarmed the alarms surrounding it's glass case and infiltrated the protecting display case- he couldn't help his self-satisfied smirk.

 

_Tommo, you still got it!_

 

He grinned as Liam and Kamilah cheered his success in the chamber they used to recreate security systems. Kamilah had taken Perrie's place when the other girl left to work for MI5 but one face behind the two-way window didn't look so happy. In fact, Harry had his arms crossed and a sulky pout on his lips.

 

Louis unstrapped himself quickly once he hit the ground, hastening up the stairs two at a time to burst into the viewing room. He batted away Liam and went straight to his boyfriend.

 

"Hey," he cupped Harry's face, thumbs pressing into the hinges of his jaw gently. "It's just this once, remember?"

 

Harry nodded but it wasn't really in acceptance.

 

"I thought you said it was okay," Louis added softly, not wanting it to sound like an accusation.

 

"I thought it was too," Harry murmured. "Until I saw what you have to do and then-"

 

"I cleared it," Louis ran his hands down Harry's arms to squeeze his hands. "And we make ours harder than the real thing."

 

"But _Mexico_?" Harry whined.

 

Louis arched a delicate brow.

 

"If I can survive sharks and jungles I think I can survive Mexico," he mused.

 

Louis reached up to kiss his lips assuming the conversation with Harry was over as he went to hug Liam and Kamilah in minor celebration.

 

Liam started explaining the kit they'd need, how they'd pair up to complete the heist and what the get-out plans were at each stage of break-in.

 

The National Art Museum was staging a set of historical works for a two-week window and one particular piece- a colonial artefact- had been commissioned to be stolen by a group of guerrillas in a raid on the City's most prized possessions to express their discontent at being oppressed over the oil rights of the country.

 

Liam had been contacted by the defence sector of the government to arrange a staged heist to put a decoy artefact in motion whilst the museum secured the real artefact. Louis' heist was essentially testing how well the security system worked and even though he knew he could beat it, he could give them vital feedback on how to make the system water-tight.

 

It gave him a strange buzz, an itch under his skin he hadn't felt in the two years since he'd settled down with Harry and although Louis now worked quite happily in an undercover investigator role whilst Harry promoted his charity; Louis couldn't deny he had missed this- the way he never knew quite what was going to happen at any given moment.

 

He flooded with guilt for feeling it though, knowing his beau wasn't exactly happy about his momentary foray back into the world of espionage but when Louis had asked; Harry had seemed fine with it, reluctantly giving his support to allow Louis the chance to do what he needed to do in order to stay happy.

 

And being in the thick of it ultimately made Louis happy.

 

//

 

"Princess...oh y-yes, _fuck_! Like that!" Louis groaned weakly as Harry ground down, straddling his hips and taking him deep.

 

"Yeah? Want to fill me right up?" Harry panted, voice gravelled and strained with desire.

 

"Just like that," Louis repeated softly, his hands uncurling from Harry's thighs where his thumbs pressed into the most sensitive part and moving to his hips, clutching them as his feet scrabbled up to flatten on the bed.

 

"Louis!" Harry gasped as Louis found anchor on the bed sheets, rocking his hips to meet Harry's roll down. He didn't even need to thrust, the gentlest motion set them clashing in the middle like the waves against the sea wall- explosive, gentle and strong.

 

" _Fuck_....fuck, fuck," Louis whispered out, circling up as Harry screwed down.

 

"So deep Lou...make me feel it," Harry curled forward a bit, changing angle, pushing back.

 

Louis' breath caught and he struggled to pull air into his lungs, his mind swirling with the pleasure accosted on his body from Harry surrounding him, goading him on in the best way possible.

 

"Come on Lou, look pretty for me," Harry murmured.

 

And Louis hated it when Harry did that, he hated it because he always, _always_ -

 

"Ah! Y-yes!" He cried out as his orgasm hit hard and sweet; pulsing into Harry's body as he pressed his chest to Louis', rutting against his belly until his own peak was realised.

 

"Oh god...oh Jesus..." Louis bound his strong arms around his beau, breaths harsh as he tried to slow the pace of his heart.

 

"M'not a biblical miracle," Harry grumbled slightly as he hitched up a bit to let Louis withdraw.

 

He sank down onto Louis' chest again though, lips pressing into his chest and shoulder as he settled there.

 

"You feel like a fucking miracle," Louis teased with a gentle hand through Harry's curls.

 

"Gonna fuck you so hard when you get back," Harry warned and Louis let his smile turn blinding, crinkles folding by his eyes.

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Hm," Harry agreed with a hum, growing sleepy.

 

He shifted a bit until Louis spooned him.

 

"Are you coming to the airport with me tomorrow?" Louis asked softly.

 

"S'pose so," Harry mumbled.

 

Louis kissed behind his ear and whispered goodnight.

 

//

 

Harry dropped him at the airport, carrying his small holdall in one hand and his hand in his other.

 

"It'll be over before you know it," Louis tugged on his hand a bit.

 

Harry smiled wanly, a distracted frown on his face as he scanned the airport as if he might find any wrong doers before Louis even boarded his plane.

 

Louis swallowed and brought Harry gently to a halt.

 

"I won't go," he whispered. "If you really don't want me to."

 

Harry's horrified eyes met his. He never wanted to be that guy again, the one who held Louis back. But they both knew Louis had to go, he was committed now.

 

"It's important to you." He said softly.

 

Louis nodded.

 

"Just think when I come back in a few days I'll be all James Bond and we can make up for lost time..."

 

He grinned as he nosed into Harry's neck, sucking gently on his skin to leave a bruise. Harry hummed and wrapped his arms tight around his smaller boyfriend.

 

"Don't go," he begged huskily despite his previous assurance, squeezing hard.

 

Louis' smile was too fond to deny how he felt.

 

"I love you."

 

"I love you too. _Alive_ ," Harry sighed.

 

Louis rubbed a hand up and down his back.

 

"You think I'm going to let some bastard take this away?" Louis assured.

 

Harry managed a shaky smile as he pulled away.

 

"Let's hope you can keep that promise." His voice was thick with emotion and he took a stumbling step back.

 

Louis went to grasp his arm to steady him but Harry shook his head and backed up further.

 

"I can't-" He choked, tears coming to his pretty green eyes, which had been wide in his pale face.

 

Louis frowned a bit with a swallow.

 

"Can't what?" He asked as Harry turned to hasten away without looking back.

 

"I can't say goodbye!" He called as he broke into a run, leaving Louis gaping.

 

His chest squeezed painfully as his heart tripped over its own beat, his eyes screwing shut.

 

" _Fuck, Harry, I never wanted you to_ ," he murmured to himself.

 

He resolutely opened his eyes, gritting his teeth together until his jaw worked and then he picked up his bag and turned the other way.

 

He hadn't wanted to leave like this, with Harry upset and his own heart beating hard with guilt. But he had to, he had a job to do and he had already promised to do it.

 

//

 

Mexico was exactly what Louis expected- hot and uncomfortable.

 

Sweat trickled down his back as he made his way to his first contact point to check in with Liam and already the population of Mexicans surrounding him made him uneasy.

 

There were guerrillas walking the streets with rifles cocked across their torsos, parading like army only these guys weren't on the right side of the law and Louis maybe hadn't realised just how close he was going to come to the enemy.

 

Any light-skinned tourists stood out here and even in his best disguise- Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts and flip-flops with a snap-back and sunglasses-  wouldn't hide his pasty skin and stand-out appearance.

 

He had to get a tan and quickly he realised, heading for the motel and planning to spend at least an hour in the sun to darken his skin.

 

//

 

The first problem was that Liam was not at the agreed meeting place.

 

Louis waited for a couple of hours but the dummy heist was taking place tonight and he couldn't wait around. The only trouble was, Louis didn't know where Liam could be and he couldn't try and find out without risking revealing his own location and they'd agreed. They'd agreed these clauses beforehand- a plan B for every stage of the operation but it didn't ease the fluttering in Louis' stomach at the thought of Liam being harmed.

 

Without Liam, Louis had to sort out his own transport and he needed a good car, something sporty that could navigate Mexico's tight little streets. Something that could get him to the harbour and onto the boat he hoped was still moored there, the keys for which were tucked into his back jeans pocket.

 

He couldn't choose anything too flashy for fear of being remembered but he managed to secure a Hyundai Genesis in metal grey that gave him anonymity as well as power and stealth.

 

Annie, the shop assistant had smiled at him sweetly as she'd picked out the model for him, winking as she offered it at a reduced price and who was Louis not to smile winningly at her and take the offer?

 

He climbed into the hire-car, his gear in a holdall as he started up the engine, ready to ride.

 

//

 

"Fuck, what if something happens?"

 

Harry was chewing his thumbnail, eyes beseeching Niall who squeezed by his legs with two cups of tea which he placed on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

 

"Not being funny mate but Louis did this for years before you met him and he did okay..." Niall reminded gently.

 

Harry sucked in a breath.

 

"Yeah but-" He sighed. "What if he needs me? He'd never admit it to anyone but when I went on that last heist with him, I helped. I made sure he didn't get hurt."

 

"This is a bit more dangerous than that," Niall scoffed, then smiled and squeezed Harry's hand as his eyes widened I horror. "I mean, he wouldn't want you in harm's way."

 

"That's what _he_ always used to say!" Harry huffed, standing up. He dug a hand into his hair. "And what he meant was that he didn't want anyone to see _him_ get hurt."

 

Niall reached out and rubbed soothingly against Harry's lower back.

 

"Come on, Haz, sit down...it'll be over by this time tomorrow and he'll be on the plane back the following day"

 

"I-" Harry winced, swallowing hard. "I made him feel bad. About going."

 

Niall's brows lifted and he tugged on the back of Harry's t-shirt until he slowly lowered himself back to the edge of the sofa.

 

"What happened?" His friend asked.

 

Harry looked away, shuddering with the shame of it.

 

"I ran, Niall," he whispered, shaky fingers pushing through his hair. "Like I always do."

 

Niall frowned a bit, not sure what he meant, exactly.

 

"Hey, he's coming home to you, remember? As soon as he lands it'll all be forgotten..."

 

"I didn't want to say goodbye!" Harry defended loudly, tears slipping from his eyes again. "I just ran. He's probably wondering if I'll even speak to him when he comes home."

 

Niall shunted up to meet Harry on the edge of the seat, hugging both arms around him and laying a kiss on his temple.

 

"He knows you love him, Haz."

 

Harry began shaking his head, breaking out of Niall's embrace to stand up again.

 

"I have to go after him..." He panted, breathless and gasping for air.

 

Niall snorted.

 

"I don't think that's a good idea, mate."

 

Harry glanced at him.

 

"Louis is my _boyfriend_. And I want to marry him one day. He has to be here for me to marry him, not on a slab somewhere..."

 

Niall got up to follow Harry as he marched into the bedroom, watching him pull down a large carry-on luggage bag.

 

"Harry, what're you doing?" Niall sighed. "Louis'll be back in two days there's no need to-"

 

"I'm going to Mexico!" Harry supplied tersely, swiping through hangars in his wardrobe and pulling clothes off them hurriedly.

 

Niall's face fell, his mouth o'ing.

 

"Harry, come on. It's not safe." He said as he came into the room to hover by his side, seeing the determined look on his best friend's features.

 

Harry choked out, his sobs finally overcoming him as he threw open a drawer to add underwear to his bag.

 

"It's not safe and he's out there on his own Niall!" He cried.

 

"Liam is there and Kamilah is standing by at the TomCat base just in case anything goes wrong..."

 

Niall's words weren't having the soothing effect he'd hoped for. Harry whimpered at the idea of anything going wrong and grabbed his bag to relocate to the bathroom, throwing in the essentials.

 

"I'm going to find Kamilah so I can get to Louis faster," he told his friend as he wiped away tears angrily on the back of his hand.

 

"Harry, _please_ ," Niall begged, cupping his arms as Harry avoided his gaze and lashed out hurt breaths of air. "Please don't do this. Louis would never forgive himself if you get hurt."

 

"I would never forgive myself if he gets hurt either," Harry said lowly, voice shaking. "Don't you get it?"

 

Niall stepped back with a swallow, a concerned look in his eyes. He didn't give permission for Harry to go but he didn't have much choice as he followed Harry out of the apartment as the other man locked up.

 

//

 

It was deathly silent around the museum.

 

Louis had parked about five hundred yards down the road in the most opportune spot for a quick getaway once he had the fake artefact in his possession.

 

He knew he had to keep the gang interested in his escape without bringing a deadly result and that was always a delicate balance.

 

He could sense more than see the vigilantes surrounding the building, probably a few days away from exacting their own heist still, watching and learning from the shadows of the city.

 

Louis was dressed in black, backpack safely hooked on his shoulders as he ducked around the back of the building. He pulled on a balaclava before he began his climb. He'd gotten fit for this, didn't even break a sweat as he made it to the first floor and reached down to his tool-belt to pull out a screwdriver, undoing the outdoor control panel for the window laser, disabling it quickly and efficiently.

 

He exchanged his screwdriver for a chisel and carefully shunted it under the frame to wedge the window open, the sound echoing in the quiet alleyway below. He cringed, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing flat against the cool brick, slowing his breath to almost not-there.

 

Thankfully nobody stirred.

 

He shuffled over to the ledge, sliding a foot onto it and spidering over to slide into the gap he'd made, landing on the museum floor with the tiniest of noises where his special plimsolls landed.

 

He sucked in hard breaths, scanning around the room.

 

This floor housed modern art and he needed the second floor but it was easier to come in this way and he made a mental note to feed that back and have extra motion sensors added down here to prevent a similar entry by other intruders.

 

Louis looked either side, tugging his balaclava down a bit before hastening towards internal air conditioning grate, rifling in his backpack for his rope.

 

He attached an expanding lobster claw to the ultra-strong nylon cord and tossed it up, the claw landing between the grate slats and hooking there so he could climb up, feeding the rope through a motorised box to keep his weight steady as he progressed.

 

Once there he crabbed across the opening and steadily unscrewed the grate with ease, sliding it into the metal tunnel before following up, crawling into the tiny space to catch his breath.

 

He had blueprints of the building and he knew exactly where to go, it was all memorised. He began to shuffle along on all fours, listening for sounds of danger as he went.

 

//

 

"You can either tell me where he is or I go around the whole of Mexico until I find him!" Harry exasperated as Kamilah refused to give.

 

Her long brunette hair was tidied into a high bun and she was wearing a smart black uniform- some kind of overall with TomCat embroidered on the pocket which covered her left breast.

 

"Harry, we both know I can't give away that information, you'll endanger Louis as well as yourself," she counselled with her big hazel eyes.

 

"So you'd rather I go crashing around Mexico asking for him?" He posed in threat.

 

She stared at him coolly.

 

"It would take you four days to get around the country. He'll be home by then."

 

Harry squinted at her, his eyes flicking to the computer screen in front of her which she subtly turned to rest-screen so he wouldn't see what was on it.

 

"If it was your boyfriend, wouldn't you want to go?" He begged.

 

Kamilah stood up, rubbing a gentle hand down his arm.

 

"I get it, Harry, I really do. But Louis prides his business on our professionalism. Liam has to make difficult decisions all the time and so do I. We have to keep Louis safe."

 

"That's _my_ job!" Harry sank both hands into his hair with a roar of helplessness. "I know he's taking an artefact from somewhere. It wouldn't take me long to search the galleries and museums to find out who has a special exhibition on..."

 

Kamilah swallowed, her soft lips pouting as she wavered.

 

"Please." Harry added desperately.

 

She blinked, licking her lips and biting into the top one with her lower teeth.

 

"I'm just popping out to use the restroom," she arched a brow. "Don't try using the computer because I locked it," she added as she brushed by him, her hips swaying.

 

Harry frowned in confusion; knowing she hadn't locked the computer at all, she had just put it to sleep.

 

 _Fuck!_   This was his chance!

 

He slowly crept to the desk and slid into the seat, checking around him even though he was alone. He pressed the enter button and the screen came to life.

 

The whole map of the city was displayed there, a little red mark depicting where Louis was situated _right now_. _Calle Tacuba_. He stood up, working on his phone to search the nearest airport and he had to get a flight to Mexico City International Airport. He quickly dialled the number as he strode out of TomCat HQ; the American sky hanging imposingly dark above him.

 

//

 

There was a cancellation and he was leaving in an hour.

 

Louis' heist would be nearly done by the time the three and a half hour flight landed but Harry needed to be at that airport for when Louis caught his connecting flight back the day after next. Louis was due to catch the early flight on Thursday morning so he had time to scope out the area in case he could work out which hotel he and Liam might be using.

 

But he was happy just to sleep on the airport floor right by the gate for flights to Bob Hope Airport to be honest. In fact he would be happy just to be in the same damn country.

 

He wanted to marry Louis and he was willing to do anything to ensure that happened.

 

//

 

The unit above the artefact had different locks than Louis expected.

 

On the one hand it was good that the museum were already implementing better security measures. On the other; he didn't want to spend all night trying to get in just to steal a fake. He was on this mission for a reason; to draw the guerrillas away from the city.

 

Once they were pursuing him he would head east to the coast and pick up his boat to circle the gulf of Mexico and land in Honduras where the fake would be exposed when he was apprehended in a pre-planned arrest which would be reported on the local television stations.

 

The guerrillas might storm the museum to obtain the real piece but by then the museum would be better protected.

 

Louis let the plan run through his mind again, his concern peaking again for Liam and wondering where he was as he set up the cables that would lower him to the glass case housing the artefact.

 

It took him a good eight minutes to get the wires secured and then he was on his back wriggling into the harness that he needed to clip himself to. He swifted off his balaclava and slipped on a hair band to tidy his wily hair, needing the freedom without the knitted mask on his descent. He smoothed back his hair to ensure none of it came flopping down to set off a laser and then his legs were dangling down and he was ready to go.

 

His heart slipped into his throat as he remembered the practice of this exact event and how it had upset Harry seeing him carrying out such a task but Louis knew the real danger laid outside this building and if he set the alarms off it made his escape that much more intrepid.

 

He took a deep breath sending a prayer upwards and hoping Harry had forgiven him by the time he got home.

 

Because he'd need strong arms around him after pulling this off.

 

//

 

 

Harry landed feeling groggy and out-of-sorts.

 

His initial adrenaline rush at flying out to save Louis had bubbled down to a fearful apprehension.

 

If Louis knew he was in Mexico, he'd be absolutely insane with anger if Harry's instincts were accurate. And now he really did have nowhere to go and nowhere safe to stay.

 

He looked at his phone. Dare he flick off a text to Liam?

 

Liam was the car-driver, he was pretty sure it wouldn't hurt for him just to ask the question. Liam didn't have to reply if he was busy or it wasn't safe.

 

_Hey just hit Int. Airport. Where you at?_

Harry headed to a bar to order a scotch to steady his nerves while he waited for a reply. He wasn't sure the exact time the heist was taking place but he knew he'd probably landed slap-bang in the middle of it.

 

He hitched his bag onto his shoulder and headed out into the dark night, looking for the next available taxi.

 

"Llevame a un hotel por favor," he requested, sagging back into the seat but by no means relaxing.

 

He was now in a strange city with no contacts and no idea where to start looking apart from the actual museum where Louis was stealing his artefact from and he couldn't go there because Louis would be gone in a flash.

 

He sighed, knocking his head back.

 

 _This was beginning to feel like a bad idea_.

 

He texted Liam the name of his hotel and prayed both men would find him there the following day once they'd finished with the heist mission.

 

//

 

 

It was an art, dangling mid air with only your limbs for balance. Louis had quickly sourced the control box for the lasers and taken it out with his laser pointer pen; a device he had come by on the black market but proved very useful in matters of stealth.

 

He lowered himself right down until his toes touched the pedestal the artefact was displayed on and he went about lifting the glass case carefully, leaning it to one side to sneak the item underneath it.

 

His fingers twitched as he recognised a weight sensor alarm had been enabled on the base of the artefact meaning when he lifted it, the alarm would be triggered.

 

It was another measure he hadn't been expecting but again, filled him with reassurance that the museum were trying better methods of security even for the test-run.

 

He sucked in a breath as he tried to fathom where the control box for the pad sensor was stashed, already running his fingers along his belt to find the right screwdriver. Once he found the box he unscrewed it, lifting the lid off and studying it to disconnect the alarm cable. Without the alarm the pad sensor would only trigger the CCTV and Louis wasn't worried about being caught on camera.

 

" _Fuck_ ," he whispered lowly, a growl in his throat.

 

This was going to take longer than he expected and he didn't have time. It was likely the gangs had already become aware of his movements; they had been watching the place like hawks for days and he was certain his entry hadn't gone un-noticed.

 

Otherwise what was the point in doing this? He needed to lead them away but time gave them the upper hand because they could gather their army ready for his escape. Louis closed his eyes tightly and tried to take deep breaths to calm his raging heart.

 

Harry didn't need to know about this part he mused. He really didn't need to know how deep in trouble Louis was at all.

 

//

 

Harry headed out for some fresh air around sunrise, vaguely aware of people around him in the street, pressing close, not like North Americans who kept their distance.

 

And then something happened, something he couldn't explain.

 

Something poked him in the side, sharp and heavy.

 

"You're coming with us," a voice told him and Harry gasped in air, frozen to the spot.

 

"We know who you are," the voice added, the accent strong.

 

"Soy un tourista," Harry tried in bad Spanish. "Por favor no me hagas dano..."

The sharp feeling jabbed further into his ribs.

 

"We have a gun and there are many of us. You will come with us or you will die." The voice warned.

 

Harry squeezed his eyes shut and stumbled as he was shunted forward. His heart kicked up a frightened beat as his throat worked silently in a dry swallow. Louis was going to kill him if these guys didn't get there first.

 

"Who are you?" He asked over his shoulder as he began to walk, slowly, the point of the gun now against his hip, hidden to passers-by.

 

"We just want the Emperor's Head," the man told him and Harry didn't really know much about the item Louis was stealing but if it was as valuable as it seemed then he knew things were very serious indeed.

 

He began to regret his decision to go there even more.

 

"I don't have it, I don't know what you're talking about-"

 

A hand was thrust in front of Harry's face, a tattered picture clutched in it. It had been cut from a newspaper but it was definitely of himself and Louis. From the night of their dinner way back when they'd gotten home from the road trip and Louis had bid on him at the fashion show auction just to have dinner.

 

He'd almost forgotten that Louis had become some sort of miniature celebrity for his connection with Harry. Because Harry tried to shun his media persona but really it was all good publicity for the charity the more he flirted with the press. Only now it didn't feel so positive. It didn't feel good at all.

 

He hadn't expected it to take quite such a horrifying turn. He gulped.

 

"Oh, shit," he murmured.

 

"Your _novio_ is here, we have also traced his steps from the airport and his little friend is being looked after at our base..."

 

Harry groaned and sagged then, realising they meant Liam. Liam was being held, too. Possibly hurt or worse.

 

"Please don't hurt him," he begged; powerless to the actions around him.

 

If he screamed or tried to run he would very definitely get shot. And if he went with them he knew his fate wasn't secured but at least he'd be alive a bit longer to try and work out how to get out of this mess.

 

Harry didn't understand the motives of the guerrillas but _maybe_ they could be reasoned with.

 

He was brought up to the side of a car and an arm rose, chopping down sharply to strike him on the head with the butt of the gun that had been used to lead him there.

 

He blacked out with one thought in his mind.

 

 _Maybe not_.

 

 

//

 

Louis was out.

 

The artefact- a limestone depiction of [Agustín de Iturbide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agust%C3%ADn_de_Iturbide)\- was heavier than anticipated and climbing down the wall hadn't been his best work. Still; as he pelted towards his coupe all he cared about was getting out of there and drawing the gangs away with him.

 

Sharp zips patterned at his feet and he ran faster, already a target. If he didn't make it to the car in time the tires would be shot and he'd be in a very vulnerable position.

 

He dug deep for his runner's athleticism and blipped the door lock, throwing himself in and jabbing the key into ignition; starting the car and pulling away without even shutting his door.

 

The wheels skidded against the asphalt of the road, the moon shining down on him and highlighting his every move.

 

The scatter of bullets landed on his back window, shattering the glass as he ducked his head and pressed on gas. The tires stayed out of range as he slammed the door shut and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

 

There were two cars following him but they worked for a much larger group and obtaining this bond would give the group more power to wangle the oil rights they hankered after.

 

Having land rights where oil was drilled would give the guerillas an endless supply of money and a chance at running one of their gang for government. As much as Louis didn't want to get involved in the politics of it all, he had to admit he didn't see how a gun-happy gang would run well in government.

 

Still, that wasn't his problem to solve. He was being paid to ensure the safety of the real Emperor's Head and he'd be damned if he was going to fail.

 

//

 

"Dimelo ahora!"

 

The command - _tell me now!-_ was accompanied by a strike across his face, a sharp blow to his cheek.

 

His lip was split, his eye closed and bloodied. His jaw had cracked on one impact but when Harry had swung it side to side carefully he didn't think it was broken.

 

He peered under his wet fringe at Liam who was hanging from the wall in chains, wrists and ankles bound. He was already unconscious, the guerrillas waiting for him to come around to start torturing him again but for now they had fresh prey.

 

"I don't know!" Harry growled. " _No lo se_ ," he added quietly as he huffed out a breath.

 

A punch swifted into his ribs so that even taking a breath hurt now. It stabbed painfully and his eyes watered but another blow was landed there and he rocked on the chair he was tied to, crying out.

 

"Where is he taking the Emperor's head?" The leader asked again- a small man with tanned skin and a swaddle of material on his head; his mouth covered to protect his identity.

 

Harry bit his lower lip as he trembled, pain burning across most parts of his body by now. They'd slashed his knees with razor blades so that his jeans lay frayed and blooded in rips and the contused skin stung painfully. They'd punched his face into a pulp and were now starting on his torso. His hair had been tugged, pulled out in places. His scalp throbbed with the memory of that, of watching his precious hair fall in clumps from the fists of his abductors.

 

He sucked in a frightened breath as another figure approached; one he recognised as the original gunman. The group were careful about using names. The leader was referred to as _Capitan_ whilst the others responded to _soldado_. Soldier. Harry smirked. How very fitting.

 

"Soldado," the _Capitan_ pointed at Harry. "Sabes que hacer..."

 

 _You know what to do_.

 

Harry didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse being able to understand Spanish right now. He almost didn't _want_ to know.

 

The guy gripped his hair and forced his head up, holding up a phone in his other hand. A video was playing, footage of a car's tires screaming against the road, the car pulling away fast with the door wide open.

 

"This is your _novio_ , no?" He asked.

 

Harry lifted his eyes with a swallow, one completely shut with swelling. He didn't reply.

 

"We have our people following him so we will find him anyway. But if you tell us where he is going we will stop them from killing him when they catch him. Fair?" He posed.

 

Harry frowned, lips pouting. He licked over his lower one, wincing at the sting of his saliva against the split in it.

 

"How do I know you won't kill him anyway?" He asked.

 

"I already told you!" Another voice called behind the soldier and his boss. Both men turned and Harry had never been so pleased to see someone alive in his life.

 

Liam was equally battered and bruised but he was _alive_.

 

"You told us he went North!" The _Capitan_ accused. "The road he is on now heads east."

 

"He's going to El Paso!" Liam coughed out blood onto the front of his already-bloodied t-shirt. "He's just creating a diversion..."

 

The _Capitan_ flicked a look to the soldier.

 

"Check in with the _soldados_ at El Paso," he murmured. "Get them on alert."

 

"Thank you for your co-operation gentlemen, let's hope you are right," the _Capitan_ smiled smugly. "Or you'll leave here in caskets," he added lowly.

 

Harry sniffled back the tears that threatened, knowing their saltiness would only make his face sting even more.

 

"We're going to die here Liam," he whispered. "And I didn't even ask Louis to marry me..."

 

Liam choked on the opposite side of the room.

 

"Fuck that, Harry. I'm getting you out if it's the last thing I do," he swore.

 

Harry smiled sadly for he knew that promise wasn't possible. He missed the fact Liam had promised to get him out only with no regard for himself.

 

 

//

 

Louis was halfway into the four hour drive to Veracruz to collect his boat when the guerrillas teamed up and he found the number chasing him had risen to four cars with a road block up ahead.

 

He was just planning how to get himself out of the situation when bullets were fired in quick succession, taking his tires out. His car skidded snake-wise across the road, rumbling to a stop in hot pursuit of gang members with machine guns.

 

He had his own ammo stored up and he scrabbled out of his door and made the car into some kind barrier, throwing grenades to distract them enough to work out his shot and he picked off the guerrillas one by one until he could make a good run for it into the undergrowth.

 

His heart was pounding hard and his breath was slewing in and out as he found a hovel to duck into, knowing his best strategy now was to hide until the guerrillas moved on. He managed to send an SOS using his phone whilst he was hiding but the snapping of a twig close to him had him freezing in fear.

 

If he didn't come back from this Harry would never forgive him and their love would have been in vain, everything they'd shared would have been for nothing. Louis had to get home; he had to make Harry _his_ at the first possible moment to even make any of this alright. He remembered with bitter clarity just how incredible it felt to make love to Harry and he wasn't going to let anything happen to ruin what they had. He had promised as much after all.

 

And Louis _always_ kept his promises.

 

The footsteps faded away and Louis let go of his breath, tears edging his eyes. He was going to make it home to Harry if it was the last thing he did.

 

//

 

Apparently Harry had been wrong.

 

Liam _did_ have a means to save them but it required a bit of team work.

 

Harry was wriggling the chair across the room that he was bound to, his back to the wall so he could reach for Liam's wrist where a watch was strapped that was his link to Kamilah and HQ.

 

It would still take them a couple of hours to get anyone in to rescue them but it was more the feeling of someone knowing they were there, would maybe even find their remains should they be killed in the meantime; that gave Harry some solace.

 

He fiddled his hands behind his back reaching for the dial of the watch as Liam explained to him which buttons to use.

 

Harry's heart was in his throat, his chest tight with fear at the thought of the gang reappearing at the door, finding them in this compromising position as he tried vainly to send the alarm to Kamilah.

 

He remembered swiftly being in the back of Louis' car and pissing himself when Louis had been about to set his gun off ( _or so Harry had believed at the time_ ) and he really hoped he'd gotten a bit stronger since then. He really hoped he'd pull this off, for Liam if not for himself.

 

"That's it Hazza, third button three times, you got it," Liam encouraged.

 

The sound of faint footfalls echoed down the hall and Harry shunted away, almost tipping his chair right over in his haste as his breath became weak and panicked.

 

"It'll be okay," Liam told him in a husked voice from the punishment he'd endured. "Just turn round they'll just think you were hopping across to get to-"

 

The door opened as Harry managed to circle his seat at the last second, the feet rocking slightly on the cement floor of the basement they were held in.

 

"Looks like someone wants to go for a walk," _Capitan_ observed.

 

The _soldado_ entered the room with him, rifle cocked across his body.

 

"Time to face the firing squad, _Bonita_..."

 

Harry looked up wild-eyed, vision only possible in his non-swollen eye.

 

"What? No! You can't do this!"

 

The _Capitan_ untied him and clicked cuffs into place, shackling his ankles, too, making it impossible to move. When Harry tried to kick out or struggle they'd punch him in the balls so he gave up, tears streaming his cheeks as he sobbed for release.

 

"Please! Don't do this, I beg you!"

 

"Then tell us where he is going," _Capitan_ stipulated.

 

"I _don't know_ ," Harry beseeched. "I swear to God, I don't know where he is!"

 

The _soldado_ gripped his elbow and dragged him up, forcing him to shuffle towards the doorway. Harry twisted his head sharply, staring at Liam; begging him for a silent signal, for something to reassure him. _Anything_.

 

Liam had a gun held to his head as the leader asked him again, loudly, where Louis was taking the artefact. Harry felt his stomach drop into his feet in hopeless realisation.

 

 _They were both going to die_.

 

//

 

Louis blinked at his phone screen several times, not sure if the words he was reading were truth or some kind of twisted dream he was having.

 

It was possible of course that on his fervent escape to the nearest town; he'd actually gone completely insane.

 

_HARRY AND LIAM ARE BEING HELD NR THE CITY BY GUERILLAS_

 

He was two hours away, nearer to three since he was headed for Veracruz on foot at present but planning to get a car in the next town. The text message stole the air from his lungs and he dialled HQ no matter who could be tracing his calls.

 

"Finally!" Kamilah exasperated as Louis' call connected.

 

"Kami, what the fuck? How did they get to Harry?!" He demanded lividly.

 

"Harry went to Mexico, Sir. They already had Liam."

 

Louis let out a roar and pressed his knuckles hard into his eye. His chest burned hot and tight as every image of Harry being hurt flicked through his mind.

 

"I can't lose him!" He beseeched. "Do we have a location?"

 

Kamilah hummed an affirmation.

 

"An underground cellar just outside the city, in a run-down old farm-house."

 

"I need the co-ordinates," Louis breathed lowly.

 

Kamilah paused.

 

"Sir, with all due respect the decoy needs to be sent down river..."

 

"Fuck the decoy!" Louis yelled. "You either give me Harry's location in co-ordinates or I arrange to bomb the whole fucking city to find him!"

 

Kamilah cleared her throat, reading out the numbers quietly as Louis wrote them down.

 

"I want a helicopter here within an hour and send Max to finish the decoy run," he commanded, hearing an affirmed _'Yes, Sir'_ before he ended the call.

 

//

 

If it had been some time since Louis had carried out stealth break-ins; it was even longer since he'd flown.

 

He had planned at some point to show off his navigational flight skills to Harry; maybe on their third anniversary next year, but it was something not many people knew he could do.

 

The helicopter he'd requested was landed by Max and Louis quickly exchanged places, settling the ear-protectors into place and slamming the door after a briefing that lasted all of two minutes.

 

Max saluted him off, running to the Land Rover Louis had procured for Max to take the decoy on the road with. The gang would soon catch onto the new vehicle being used to transport the artefact but they were heading into a trap.

                                                                             

And Louis wanted to get Harry out of their lair before the entrapment went down. Because once the guerrillas were detained at Honduras; he'd never get Harry back. Not in one piece anyway.

 

He had to fight his need to scream and cry at the unfairness of it all, to rage at Harry's stupidity for following him when he knew how dangerous this mission was. But neither of them could have predicted this move from the enemy. Louis had never imagined his small media exposure two years ago would be traceable.

 

Evidently he was wrong.

 

He hovered over the city scoping out the roads compared to the electronic map he was using on an I-pad; a red flashing blob pinpointing Harry and Liam's location.

 

His phone buzzed.

 

_LIAM TRIGGERED THE ALARM. SENDING FIVE SQUAD._

Louis grimaced. Within an hour he'd have back up but he didn't have an hour to waste, he had to try and get into the vicinity even if he got captured himself because there was no way in hell he was letting Harry go down alone.

 

Once he found the road that ran past the abandoned farm he moved to land, the chopper swifting side to side in his rusty experience of flying but soon enough his hand steadied and he brought the chopper low, the blades whipping the surrounding trees and grass about as he laid the landing rails gently to the asphalt, killing the motor but not waiting for the blades to stop before he pulled out the ignition key and ran into the entrance of the farm.

 

He'd ammo'd himself up and he prayed to god he had enough lead to kill every bastard inside.

 

//

 

"So, _bonita_..."

 

The _soldedo_ had hung Harry's cuffs against the wall so that his wrists were suspended.

 

Harry glared at him with his good eye.

 

A slow punch slugged into his stomach.

 

"Uff!"

 

"We might get a price for you, _si_?"

 

Harry frowned as the soldier kicked his feet apart, a hand grasping at his privates. He whined and rolled away from the touch, lashing out with his foot; albeit of no effect since his boots had been taken and he was left bare-foot.

 

"Heard you are an important man in California," the man added with a smirk.

 

Harry felt the blood drain from his face. He wasn't important at all. Why on earth would this gang think he could raise a bounty?

 

"We have decided to keep you alive and demand a ransom," he explained to Harry.

 

"Liam's important too," Harry blurted. "If you kill him I'll tell everybody how evil your kind are. Your cause will never get support," he threatened.

 

The soldier arched a brow at him.

 

"But you'd promote us if the other man lives?"

 

Harry swallowed. It was small price to pay for Liam's life.

 

"I'd highlight the political issues surrounding your country," he tried.

 

The man tutted and headed for the door, leaving Harry alone in the room.

 

"Hey! Hey, don't kill anyone! Liam? Liam, can you hear me?"

 

//

 

Louis didn't know if Liam could hear Harry but _he_ certainly could.

 

With his back flattened to the wall in the main house searching out the entry to the basement, his knees almost gave way when he recognised the low, steady tones of his lover.

 

"Harry," he sighed thankfully. "Thank _god_."

 

He squeezed his eyes shut to expel the tears from his lashes, loading up two pistols so he could break in double-handed with fire-power. It took a count to five to steady his nerves and then he was on the move, agile feet dancing soundlessly across the hall.

 

In a flash of a second he peeked around the corner, quickly taking stock of the two sentries posted by the basement door.

 

In the next second he'd pirouetted to cross his hands behind him, shooting first one pistol then the other to take the two guards out. Both fell to the floor with bloodied chests, filling Louis with a surge of hope.

 

They weren't wearing bullet-proof vests, he might even have half a chance of rescuing his friend and lover.

 

The basement wasn't locked and Louis had shrugged on one of the guard's overcoat's to soften his appearance, wrapping his head with a scarf, too. He knew some Spanish, enough to get by in case he needed to use it.

 

The guerrilla contingent out here in Toluca wasn't well-populated. Louis counted three guards passing down the corridor they'd created in the basement- apparently dug out to create this underground head quarters of some description.

 

His heart was throbbing in his chest, not wildly but hard and steady in knowing what he needed to do next. It had to be fast and it was going to be messy but Louis wasn't taking any chances.

 

He was so close to getting Harry out that he wasn't giving up now.

 

//

 

"Argh!" Liam's roar of excruciation echoed in the halls, the cry ripped from his throat.

 

Harry's head shot up at the sound and tears began at his eyes again wondering what they were doing to him to try and get him to talk.

 

"Liam?" He called feebly, letting his fear develop into tears now. "Liam, _oh god_..."

 

He put one foot flat to the wall, trying to unhook his wrists. It wasn't enough leverage so he tried again, pushing himself higher. Once he got brave he began using both feet, the quick succession of two steps up against the wall giving him a few extra inches as he tugged his wrists forward, willing the cuffs to slide off the hook.

 

"Please," he begged the gods with a hiss as the salt from his tears ran into his cut cheek and lip. "Please work!"

 

He was tired from lack of food, water and sleep but he didn't give up, stepping up over and over until-

 

"Fuck," he fell forwards, rolling onto the floor with a heavy drop. "Ouch," he winced as his ribs protested angrily to that fall, the rest of his body singing a similar painful song. "Jesus!" He spat, ignoring the blood that landed on the ground among his saliva.

 

Now all he had to do was get to his feet and-

 

"Oh, _Princesa_ ," the soldier tilted his head with a hum as he swifted the door open. "Still looking for exercise, hm?"

 

Harry's good eye flickered and acid filled his throat, sharp and stinging.

 

"What did you do to Liam?" He demanded softly, then stepped forward three aggressive steps. "What did you do, you bastard?!"

 

The soldier chuckled and leaned back into the door, sliding his rifle barrel-frontward in one slick move.

 

"Do not come any closer, Bonita," he smarmed.

 

"Why not? You gonna rip me to shreds?" He bluffed. "You already did! And I still don't know where he is so-"

 

A slap exacted across his cheek, sending his face sideways and then Harry wasn't sure what happened. Harry over-balanced, tripping over his own bare feet to stumble to the floor, hitting it hard again with his shoulder and groaning as he curled into a protective ball, praying for relieve from his punishment only...

 

There was a flurry of activity, bodies were in combat and he couldn't see, he couldn't see because one eye was closed and the other was blurry in vision but he was sure-

 

Oh _god_. It _was_! It was _Louis_!

 

And just where had Louis learned Ju Jitsu? Harry wondered as his partial vision recognised the martial-art moves from memory of watching others battle it out in the gym he went to while he stuck to the rather standard boxing lessons.

 

The soldier seemed quite proficient in the art because Louis was struggling to over-come him and another soldier was at the door but Louis' arm moved quicker than the soldier, shooting a pistol at him and sending him down.

 

Another two soldiers appeared whilst Louis tried to fight off the first and it became a four-way fight, one of the new soldiers shot in the thigh and left yelling out in pain on the floor.

 

Harry had to turn away to avoid the memory of that injury even if his vision wasn't 100%. There was something about watching Louis hurting people that started up a funny churning in his stomach that made him want to hurl.

 

The sound of a blast made him jump, afraid to open his eyes again in case that bullet was embedded anywhere in Louis' little body but the sound of his beau swearing reassured him it had gone nowhere near.

 

"Take that you fucking bastard!"

 

He opened his good eye to peek, seeing Louis with just the original soldier in his grip, in a head lock on his knees as he rolled his body about to tighten his hold and render him unable to move.

 

Harry unfurled slowly and got onto one knee, hissing as his cuts protested. He pushed himself up determinedly and staggered towards a taser Louis had lost hold of in the ensuing fight.

 

He pointed it at the wrestling men and flicked a look to Louis as if to ask what he should do. He knew if he let of the electrical bolt now, it would frazzle Louis as well as his aggressor.

 

"When I say!" Louis barked and Harry swallowed, the metallic taste of blood on his tongue. He felt something slide on his chin and wiped the back of his hand there, smudging fresh blood across his skin which made him feel dizzy but he couldn't give up now, Louis needed him.

 

He waited with shaky hands as Louis rolled into a somersault, then back-flipped away from the guerrilla, shouting _'Now!'_ loud and sharp which Harry's fingers just pressed in response to, his brain not even required to process his actions.

 

The electrical charge jumped from the machine in his hands and landed on the soldier, sending him into a frenzy until he passed out, something Louis didn't take for granted as he found out some hemp rope to bind him up.

 

"Careful," Harry mumbled, knowing the charge could still be coursing through the soldier's veins.

 

"S'why I'm using hemp," Louis explained breathlessly as he worked.

 

Once he was standing again he quickly gathered up his guns and ran for the doorway, skittering to a halt.

 

" _Fuck!_ Harry, god, I love you, okay? But I have to go and save Liam now...I just can't-" Louis lowered his head and let out a heart-broken sigh. "What did they do to you?" He whispered as he looked back up with soulful blue eyes.

 

"Go!" Harry told him with a rough voice. "Please, Lou, just go and save Liam," he begged.

 

Louis swallowed and gazed at him for a long moment, finally nodding his head succinctly before stealthily moving off.

 

Harry didn't have it in him to hold himself up any longer. He fell to the ground and everything went black.

 

 

//

 

Louis was helping a hopping Liam from the house as back-up arrived.

 

Harry was already safely strapped to a stretcher, an air-ambulance having landed near Louis' chopper to take him away and Liam's shin had a bullet in it but he was being a trooper about it, much to Louis' bemusement.

 

He helped Liam into a wheelchair which the ambulance motor-lifted into the vehicle as his comrades ran into the house behind him to finish up his work.

 

The _Policia_ were on the way but Louis had called the ambulances first after finding Liam with a gun-shot wound and when he went back for Harry; finding him in a heap on the floor.

 

His adrenaline level hadn't dipped, if anything it was spiking and he wasn't going to rest easy until he was sat beside Harry's hospital bed. For all he knew the guerrillas could surge the hospital and send an assassin to pick Louis off. He could only hope that whoever paid him to complete this mission had a back-up of their own to temper down the frayed allies.

 

"Lou, just go," Liam waved a floppy hand at him as Louis climbed into the back of the vehicle, his own bruises getting checked out along with tests for concussion and checks for broken bones.

 

"Liam, hate to point this out but you're going to the same hospital as Harry," Louis mused.

 

He closed his eyes against the grim discovery he'd made on finding Liam hung from the wall in chains, blood gushing down his leg onto his foot and pooling on the floor, his aggressor holding the gun that had just shot through his shin.

 

Louis had seen red and just cocked a pistol to zip the man right through his ribcage, knowing the bullet would head straight to his heart, killing him instantly. He'd never had the need to shoot so many men in one coup but the sight of Liam bloodied and hung like an animal was all it had taken for his resolve to snap.

 

He could still picture Harry's injuries, the ones he'd observed in the short minutes he'd burst into his room and then when he'd gone back for him. He knew there were more he couldn't see but the swollen eye, broken cheek and split lip were evident along with mounds of his hair scattered on the floor and blood seeping from his razor-cut knees.

 

Louis shivered as his stomach turned, a cardboard tray thrust at him by a _Paramedico_ telling him to be sick in that.

 

He rolled his dark eyes up, lips pressed together and it was Liam who reached for his wrist to squeeze it.

 

"He'll be alright Lou, they're radioing ahead and his vitals are all strong, it's just surface wounds..."

 

Louis didn't realise he'd been crying until he went to rub his tired eyes and he rubbed away tears instead.

 

"Jesus Christ," he whispered, low and quiet. "When I heard he was even here-"

 

Liam squeezed his wrist again even though the medics were trying to make him comfortable.

 

"He loves you, Lou. Did you expect him not to come after you?"

 

"I thought I was going to lose him," he admitted sadly, choked up.

 

"But you _didn't_...and Max got the decoy to Honduras and the guerrillas have been detained and the Police have locked down the City against renegade activity," Liam added for good measure.

 

Louis didn't feel appeased by the list of his successes.

 

"I just need to see him," he said softly.

 

Liam nodded, ice being held to various parts of his face.

 

"I know, boss. We'll be there soon."

 

//

 

If Louis thought that seeing Harry would make everything better, then he had thought wrong.

 

A twisting, curling feeling began in his gut; a hell of a lot like self-hate and he knew, he knew deep down that this was all his fault.

 

Harry looked close to death despite the fact he luckily had hardly any internal damage other than bruising and his broken cheekbone and a rib; but Louis' stomach felt heavy and his heart was lagging because this was all on him.

 

He should have known that by letting someone love him, he also let them into his world. And no matter how hard he tried to protect them from it, he could never really succeed because it was impossible, really.

 

Like Liam had pointed out, whoever he loved would want to come after him and he should know better than to take jobs while someone felt that way about him.

 

And it didn't matter that he might never take a job like this again, the point was that he'd _wanted_ to. Even knowing Harry might be in danger because of it. And he couldn't bear the weight on his shoulders of being responsible for his broken form, laying in a hospital bed pale skinned apart from the angry redness from his bruises and cuts.

 

He didn't know how long he stood there staring at Harry's sedated form but when Anne came in supported by Robin, she broke down on seeing Harry's injuries leaving Louis gasping for breath, tears streaming down his own face because-

 

Fuck, _he_ was the reason Harry was even here at all! _He_ was the reason Anne was doubled over emotionally with Robin needing to hold her tight. He was the reason his boyfriend- his very beautiful and loving boyfriend- suffered several hours of painful torture.

 

And Harry deserved a hell of a lot more, really. More than Louis could promise him.

 

Anne's gaze shifted from the bed as she straightened and the next thing Louis knew she was moving towards him and in the back of his mind he thought it was for comfort, to hug him like he was her second son and tell him everything would be okay.

 

What he didn't expect was-

 

"You! You bastard! Look at him! Look at my poor baby!"

 

Louis staggered back with the shunt Anne gave him, short and sharp. She came back towards him to fist her hands into his t-shirt, eyes red and full of tears.

 

"You better pray he wakes up, Louis! Why are you here? To see how hurt he is? Well _look_!" She let go of his t-shirt to push him closer to the bed, a firm hand on the back of his neck. "Look!"

 

"Anne..." Robin came over to gently coax her away but Louis was looking and more importantly, he was _seeing_.

 

He was no good for Harry. It might break Harry's heart to be without Louis but Harry's heart would mend...Louis couldn't promise the same of his body if the guerrillas decided to stage a revenge attack on them or something worse.

 

"You're the reason my baby is hurt!" Anne was sobbing, hands tight on Louis' shirt again, pulling it out of shape as Robin tried to pull her off.

 

"Louis, I'm so sorry about this," he murmured. "She's just in shock..."

 

Louis shook his head, stepping away from the bed and curling his hands around those clenched against his chest.

 

"You're right Mrs. Styles," he said quietly. "It's all my fault..."

 

Anne let go of his top to lay almost soft thumps against his torso.

 

"Whoa," Robin wrapped two arms around her waist and dragged her back.

 

Louis swallowed, his skin sallow as tears coursed down his face still. He sniffed them back.

 

"Harry deserves better," he said, the words robotic as he tried to disconnect the meaning of them with the pain flaring in his chest.

 

"Get out!" Anne screamed, collapsing into overwhelmed tears at the foot of Harry's bed.

 

Louis glanced at Robin with a swallow. Maybe if he swallowed hard enough he could push down every emotion fighting for air.

 

"I'm sorry," he said, meaning it. "I'm going to head out..."

 

Robin frowned at Louis' somewhat final tone, following him into the corridor and calling his name.

 

"Louis!"

 

Louis paused, turning slightly.

 

"Don't go yet. Just wait around for a while. She'll get over it," he assured of Anne's upset. "Harry will want to see you when he wakes up..."

 

Louis lifted one corner of his mouth in a wry smirk.

 

"He's better off without me," he decided. "I'm glad I got to meet you," he added sadly. "Think I'd have liked a Dad like you."

 

He turned and carried on walking, right out of the hospital, through the streets and eventually back to the safe place Liam had found while they waited for flights to become available, where everything was eerily quiet and empty.

 

He sucked in a breath.

 

 _May as well get used to it_.

 

//

 

"Open the door!"

 

Louis sighed.

 

Liam had knocked four times and he'd ignored all attempts at getting him to come out.

 

"Louis I mean it...we both know I can break in easily..."

 

He rolled his eyes and got up. He rocked a bit on his feet dizzily. He could smell himself, a stale sweat smell that wrinkled his nose. He ran a hand through his greasy hair and rubbed the heel of his palm over his dick- covered in boxers that he'd worn for three days now.

 

They'd all taken flights home once Harry had been moved from the Mexico City Hospital to one in Burbank and he'd not moved since crashing on the sofa.

 

He threw open the door and stretched his lips into a forced smile.

 

"Liam! Good to see you!"

 

Liam recoiled momentarily and then frowned.

 

"Are you drunk?" He accused.

 

Louis had already turned back inside to find his whisky bottle, shaking the remains at his friend.

 

"Not yet," he smirked.

 

"Louis, what the fuck?" Liam manoeuvred himself into the room on crutches and closed the door behind him, instantly gathering up discarded clothes and empty drinks cans. "Why aren't you at St Joseph's?"

 

"Didn't Anne tell you?" Louis arched a brow. "They don't want me near their son..."

 

Liam sighed out and dumped the cans in the bin, settling his eyes on his friend who curled into a blanket on the sofa in the dark room.

 

He went to open the curtains and the window to let some fresh air in.

 

"Harry's awake now and he's coming out tomorrow. They said he can go home once his dizziness settles."

 

Louis sucked down a bitter swallow of alcohol.

 

"Dizziness?" He couldn't help his curiosity.

 

"When they broke his cheek and gave him a black eye it upset his balance, apparently," Liam commented.

 

"Funny how getting the shit kicked out of you can do that," Louis slurred.

 

Liam settled himself next to Louis on the couch.

 

"Don't you think you should clean up?" He suggested. "Harry's coming home and he needs to recuperate-"

 

"He's not coming home, Liam!" Louis snapped over him, swigging some more spirit. "Anne made it very clear that I was no longer required in their lives."

 

"And what about what _Harry_ needs?" Liam posed. "This is his house, too. He needs to come home and start recovering from this. Harry's not like us, Lou. We consider it a blessing we come out with all limbs intact..."

 

Louis looked at his friend then for a long moment and he realised sharply that Liam hadn't come off any better than Harry in the abduction. His face was also battered and bruised.

 

"I'm sorry you got hurt," Louis offered then.

 

Liam gave him a small smile back.

 

"It wasn't your fault. They had inside information, there was nothing we could have done..."

 

"Still," Louis sighed, cupping his good knee. "I never want to see you like that again..."

 

Liam nodded.

 

"I never want to see you have to go through it again, either," he said.

 

Louis swallowed, tears beginning at his eyes.

 

"Doubt I'll be able to do it again anyway. Think I've come close enough to losing everything that means something to me."

 

Liam slung his arm around Louis' shoulders.

 

"You haven't lost him, Louis," he counselled. "I get that his parents aren't very happy with you but Harry's been asking why you're not there and what am I meant to say?"

 

Louis snorted, swigging another small mouthful of his drink.

 

"Did you mention his mother trying to thump me?"

 

Liam arched a brow.

 

"He's coming home tomorrow, Louis. _Home_. To _you_..."

 

Louis shook his head.

 

"He'll go to his parents. They'll never let him come here..."

 

"He's pretty stubborn," Liam mused.

 

Louis sighed.

 

"Then I guess I'll have to stay with you again."

 

Liam made a face.

 

"Don't be stupid."

 

"Liam, Harry got hurt because of me. I can't promise that Harry is completely safe while he's with me. Isn't it obvious what I have to do? That I have to walk away and make a clean break to keep him safe?"

 

Liam tilted his head.

 

"Oh, Lou...please tell me you don't believe that..."

 

Louis gritted his teeth together, threading his fingers into his lank hair.

 

"You've seen what they did to him, Li! How can I possibly let him be with me knowing he'll turn up like that because of something I did?"

 

Liam ran his hand across Louis' curved, small back, flicking his eyes around the room.

 

"Look, why don't I tidy up while you take a shower?" He suggested, changing tack. "When you sober up things will seem more positive, I'm sure..."

 

Louis knew better than to argue with his partner, getting up and shuffling to the bathroom to follow his orders. Maybe Liam was right. Maybe when he smelt less like stale sweat and more like Harry's favourite green apple shower-gel he'd feel better.

 

Maybe he'd actually begin to believe that he and Harry belonged together after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your support!
> 
> Ang

There were no fanfares when Harry came home.

 

The heavens didn't open, the sun didn't even shine that day.

 

Louis waited anxiously on the sofa while Liam played host, collecting Harry from the hospital and carrying his bags.

 

Bags Louis should be carrying.

 

When the door opened, Louis wasn't sure what to expect. Harry's facial bruising had reduced greatly, his eye was half open now and his lip had healed. His cheek still looked sore and he was slow walking thanks to his knees still healing. He clutched at his ribs as he slowly stepped inside.

 

"Lou? Are you here?" He wondered.

 

Louis stood up, circling the sofa twice nervously before edging into the hallway, rubbing his palms on the back of his jeans.

 

"Hi," he breathed, unable to meet Harry's gaze.

 

"Hi...hey..." Harry stumbled forward and bear-hugged him, squeezing tight. "Where've you been?" he asked desperately and Louis could hear the tears in his voice.

 

"Your mum-"

 

"Told you to get out," Harry rolled his eyes, pulling back a bit. "I didn't think you'd actually _listen_."

 

Louis gulped. He didn't know what to say. For the first time in his life he truly didn't have words to explain how he felt. He just needed to get out, find air and breathe it into his lungs. He needed to get as far away from Harry as possible to ensure he didn't get hurt again.

 

"It's my fault," Louis choked out, stepping away which made Harry over-balance a bit.

 

"What?" Harry blinked confusedly.

 

"I can't watch you get hurt again like that," he muttered. "Your mom was right...I'm not good for you, Harry."

 

As he brushed by Harry's shoulder towards the door, Liam clamped a strong hand around his forearm, sliding him a dark-eyed look.

 

"Don't you dare..." His friend warned lowly.

 

Louis shook his head.

 

"I'm not good enough!" He cast roughly, yanking his arm out of Liam's grip to run far, far away.

 

//

 

Harry limped sorrowfully towards the sofa and plopped down on it, frowning a bit.

 

"What smells bad?" He asked Liam who had closed the door and offered to make tea.

 

"Erm-Louis," he replied honestly. "Tried to clean up the best I could before you got back but he had it in his head that you'd skip out to go to your mum's."

 

Harry chucked out a breath.

 

"Do you even know how much flack I took for coming back here? And he just-" Harry flicked a hand up, sighing out.

 

Liam glanced over the breakfast island at him.

 

"He's just feeling guilty over you getting hurt," Liam explained. "And he thinks it's not over, that they might come back for him..."

 

"Does that stop you going home to Sophia?" Harry pointed out with a frown.  "I chose my boyfriend over my own family and he's just thrown it in my face."

 

Liam brought over two mugs and perched on the coffee table.

 

"I know you don't understand why he's doing it but just give him some time," he counselled. "It's got to be hard seeing your loved one in that state..."

 

"And what about worrying about your loved one wandering the streets at night on his own?" Harry argued sharply. "Wondering if the guerrillas _did_ find him and are out there now trying to capture him and do the same?"

 

Liam bit his lip.

 

"I put a tracking device on his jacket collar," he admitted softly. "In case he did something stupid like this."

 

Harry closed his eyes tightly and breathed out, pressing a hand to his ribs as he winced.

 

"Thanks for bringing me home, Liam."

 

Liam smiled and patted his thigh.

 

"It'll sort itself out," he assured.

 

If only Harry had the same confidence.

 

//

 

It was twilight when Louis came home and Harry was wide awake, heart thumping loudly in the dark. He couldn't physically sleep with the fear of Louis being taken again and his own nightmares weren't much better.

 

He rolled a bit in bed, wondering if Louis would take the sofa but the door poked open, lending soft light from the hallway.

 

"Louis?" He called out softly hoping to entice the other man inside the dark room.

 

"Yeah," Harry heard his beau sigh. "Are you okay?"

 

"Scared of the dark," he mused softly.

 

He watched Louis' silhouette shuck off his jacket, smirking at the thought of Liam tracking him to make sure he was safe. Harry made room for Louis in the bed and arched the covers for him to snuggle in.

 

Louis pulled on some pyjama trousers and a t-shirt, wriggling into bed. When he got closer, Harry could smell alcohol.

 

"Lou? Have you been drinking?" He checked.

 

"Yeah," he admitted openly, not quite curling into Harry's body, just laying there near to him.

 

Harry reached out and stroked gentle fingers across the back of his hair, leaning over to kiss his temple.

 

"I still love you."

 

He heard Louis snort out a breath of derision.

 

"I don't know why."

 

Harry decided to ignore it, more thankful that Louis was alive and well and under his arm now.

 

"Because I do," he murmured as he settled closer to Louis since Louis wasn't moving into his embrace.

 

He kissed his cheek and stroked down the back of his head sweetly before drifting into sleep.

 

//

 

Louis appointed himself as a medic the day after his return.

 

He vanished for a large part of the morning while Harry enjoyed some extra hours in bed and just as he began panicking that Louis wasn't coming back; the door had clicked shut and Louis had leaned on the doorway.

 

"Want me to help you wash?"

 

Harry smiled tentatively and nodded.

 

Louis helped him shower and then soaked cotton wool in anti-septic going over his knees and other cuts. Once Harry was fully dry Louis' little fingers slotted along his rib-bones, rubbing in lotion.

 

"Didn't know you knew Ju Jitsu," Harry said, voice low.

 

Louis stiffened a bit and wiped his hand off on a towel, getting up to find the bandage for Harry's ribs.

 

"One of many forms of defence I learned," he offered quietly.

 

"Hm," Harry nodded, flicking his eyes over Louis' form.

 

Despite being a bit scruffy- _his hair was a mess and his stubble was almost a beard_ \- Louis was still the beautiful man he'd fallen in love with. The very vulnerable, breakable man he loved with every part of himself. And it hurt him not being able to help him. Because Harry didn't really know what was wrong.

 

He lifted his arms obediently as Louis came to bandage him up.

 

"Are you really that bothered about what my mom thinks?" Harry asked directly.

 

Louis tugged the bandage a bit too tight, causing Harry to hiss a bit.

 

Harry realised Louis wasn't going to reply so he pushed on.

 

"You didn't make me get on that plane, Louis. Niall warned me against it, too. Kamilah wouldn't tell me anything...it's not like I came with everyone's blessing."

 

Louis swallowed, wrapping insistently around Harry's torso while he knelt between his thighs as Harry sat on the edge of the bed.

 

"I was an idiot to get on that plane and I knew it the second I landed. But I had no idea they knew who I was, that-"

 

Louis gritted his teeth and shook his head, silently asking Harry not to continue.

 

"The point is, my mom will forgive you. Because deep down she knows this is all my own fault and eventually she'll accept that and take it out on me instead. Like she should be now. She's just thankful to have me back and she doesn't know who to blame..."

 

Louis pinned Harry's bandage in place.

 

"If you weren't with me then you wouldn't have put yourself in danger in the first place," he growled. "You could find a better guy who could keep his promises to you and keep you safe."

 

Louis turned away as he finished his sentence and Harry frowned. He lifted his feet onto the mattress and twisted when Louis told him he needed to rest in bed for a while but Harry didn't understand the words coming from his fiancé's mouth.

 

"Lou...you-you don't want to end this do you?" He broached hesitantly with a nervous swallow. "Please tell me you're not breaking up with me..."

 

"There's better men out there, Harry," he whispered, still turned away, putting clothes away apparently.

 

Harry sucked in a sharp breath that made his rib stab painfully in his side.

 

"I don't want anyone else," he said on a shaky voice, staring at the ceiling in some petty effort to pretend he wasn't really crying. His tears slid down into his hair and it was like he wasn't crying at all.

 

Louis ducked his head with a resigned sigh.

 

"I just can't do this Harry. I just can't pretend that it's okay when it's not. When I saw you like that I knew that was something I _never_ wanted to see again and yet the only way to ensure that was to-"

 

"Fuck, Louis!" Harry spluttered, curling up and clutching an arm across his body as he rolled to stare at his back. "Don't you get it? I'd rather die getting to you than be with anyone else!"

 

Louis shook his head, denying the statement. He'd spent so long convincing himself he wasn't what Harry needed, that he wasn't good enough and that Harry deserved so much more, it was almost painful hearing Harry tell him he'd die to be with him.

 

It was a sentiment his own heart mirrored but he found it hard to swallow in reverse.

 

Something in Harry's sobs behind him had him turning, had his hard heart softening and his cool blue eyes narrowing shrewdly.

 

Harry's face was puffy with his tears now, his sobs hurting him physically as he pushed them out. That was Louis' fault. And maybe Harry had been hurt _physically_ but was it worse to hurt him this way, emotionally?

 

He closed his eyes tightly. Somehow every shred of his body was attuned to protecting Harry and comforting him and his own desires faded into the background compared to what Harry needed. And Harry needed him, for whatever reason, Harry needed Louis to love him.

 

He knew he was making the biggest mistake of his life as he strode towards the bed but he couldn't help himself.

 

"Babe...fuck, don't cry," he gruffed as he dropped to the edge and reached across to pull Harry into his arms tightly, kissing onto his crown. "Babe, I'm sorry...fuck, I'm so sorry..."

 

Harry clutched onto him, wailing into his shoulder.

 

"I just want to be with _you_!" He cried, voice warped with tears. "Don't leave me, please!" he begged.

 

Louis rocked him a bit side to side, sighing into his damp hair.

 

"Alright, I won't...I promise I won't..."

 

"I was so scared," Harry whispered, quivering now as his fingertips bit into Louis' skin at his shoulders and back from how tight he was holding him.

 

Louis rubbed over his back, humming softly as he rocked him gently.

 

"I know, babe. I was scared too."

 

Harry shook his head, burrowing into Louis' neck.

 

"Thought you were hurt...or gone..."

 

Louis pressed his chin to the top of Harry's head.

 

"Me too...I thought that too, Princess."

 

Harry choked a bit on his violent sobs.

 

"Then you weren't there! You weren't at the hospital when I woke up and-"

 

"Fuck, I'm sorry," Louis said again, low and emphatic. "I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I'd stop this ever happening again by walking away..."

 

"Don't," Harry clung on a bit tighter if that was possible. "Promise me..."

 

Louis let out a breath and leaned back to press a kiss to Harry's lips, soft and tender; full of promise.

 

"Alright, Hazza," he promised softly. "But you're not going anywhere alone until I feel it's safe, okay?"

 

Harry blinked, wanting to argue that stipulation but he thought better of it in the circumstances.

 

"Okay," he agreed on a wobbly voice.

 

Louis smiled and went to kiss him again, finding Harry pulling back a bit.

 

"Sorry, I'm so tired," he flicked his eyes away as he spoke.

 

Louis settled him down on the bed.

 

"Told you to rest, didn't I?" He teased quietly.

 

Harry smiled up at him, sleepy eyes blinking closed. His hand weakly circled Louis' wrist in that way he did, when he wanted Louis close.

 

"Don't go too far?" He asked as he slipped into sleep.

 

Louis kissed his brow,

 

"Try not to, babe..."

 

//

 

Louis rolled on the bed to watch Harry sleeping, tucking an arm over his side.

 

His gut was still at war with his heart, twisting painfully at the thought of hurting Harry again but his heart beat loudest and strongest, fighting down those fears.

 

He hummed, nuzzling at Harry's nose with a crinkle-eyed smile.

 

Harry stirred and blinked sleepy eyes open slowly.

 

"Hey," Louis greeted in a sweet husky voice, quietly.

 

Harry smiled almost shyly.

 

"Hi..."

 

"So...what's a pretty boy like you doing in my bed, hm?"

 

Harry chucked out a breath.

 

"Sleeping," he replied. "Like I was told to."

 

Louis hummed. "Excellent. So...is your lip okay now?" He wondered idly.

 

Harry nodded, licking them.

 

"That's what I was hoping you'd say," Louis admitted, tilting his head to suck gentle at Harry's lips.

 

Harry opened his slightly and angled the opposite way so their mouths could slide together, their kiss more clinging and sweet.

 

Louis' fingers brushed backwards up Harry's t-shirt hem, making a gap for his hand to slide, just slightly, against warm skin.

 

Harry hummed a bit in his throat and deepened the kiss, swiping his tongue slightly against Louis' and pressing a little harder with his lips.

 

His hand that was free naturally curled into Louis' waist, sliding into the small of his back and they both wriggled  a bit to be closer, breaking their kiss briefly only to gently place their lips back together.

 

"Oh, _yeah_ ," Louis seemed to rumble out, his hand pushing upwards under the t-shirt to search for more skin. He found it, thumbing over Harry's tight little nipple and enjoying the way he jolted a bit at the touch.

 

"So sweet, Princess," Louis smirked as he pulled back, only to duck his head and lick a stripe over Harry's belly, giggling as Harry pinched his side.

 

"Hey!" He pouted at Louis' distance and Louis obediently curled back close.

 

He thumbed over Harry's non-broken cheek very carefully.

 

"Can I help you with something?" Louis teased with warm eyes.

 

Harry pressed their lips together and licked out very slowly against Louis' lower one, feeling him sigh and move back into position against him, his arms now threaded tight around his waist and hands carving up his bare back to push his t-shirt away.

 

Harry wanted to kiss Louis this way until the sun fell to earth and the moon hung the stars; wanted to wriggle closer and have sneaky touches to his bare skin all day long.

 

But something was missing, something wasn't quite there that usually was,  a piece of their jigsaw puzzle was amiss. More than  a piece, a few pieces actually.

 

And although he felt  a squirmy warmness inside of him, it didn't burn hot, not like it usually did and by now, he'd be halfway to rigid and looking for more but actually he just wanted to squeeze Louis close and suck on those perfect little lips all night.

 

When Louis determinedly got a hand on him and felt the missing heat that hadn't sparked his arousal; he stilled so suddenly that Harry cringed, trying to keep their kiss moving so as to avoid this confrontation.

 

Louis pulled back, breathing hard, his own hardness evident against Harry's belly where he'd leaned into him a bit.

 

Harry looked at him, eyes fearful and wide as he swallowed.

 

"I'm sorry," he blushed, dragging his hair back. "I don't know why-"

 

Louis snapped out of his surprise and smiled, although Harry noted the slight strain in the creases at the edges of his eyes.

 

"Babe, it's okay. You've been through a lot. We both have."

 

Harry nodded and nosed under Louis' jaw.

 

Louis tipped his head down and kissed him again, softly.

 

"I love you," Louis told him as he pulled away, settling with Harry curved against him on the bed.

 

"Love you," Harry echoed as he laid in his arms.

 

//

 

Louis spent the next day on the swing seat following up on the mission using his I-pad whilst Harry curled between his thighs and read a book quietly, sometimes cuddling into himself to sleep at which point Louis would cover him with the checked blanket off the porch.

 

Liam was keeping him up to date with news and so far the guerrillas that had been detained in Honduras had been held under attempted theft charges along with those who had survived Louis' insurgence facing stronger charges for kidnap and physical harm of the hostages.

 

There was unease brewing among the gangs, though. Their political campaign had been thrown off-balance and their attempt at gaining those oil rights had been thwarted. Louis had never been embroiled in such a plot that he felt revenge may be sought and this time, it left him with a sick feeling in his stomach.

 

Even if he had stuck to his original plan to get as far away from Harry as possible to protect him, he wasn't convinced it would have worked. Harry was as much in danger as he was.

 

The email Liam had sent included the details of a private protection service that Louis had asked for and he subconsciously reached a hand out to sink his fingers into Harry's hair as if to remind himself he really was here and okay.

 

He was still on the mend but he was okay.

 

"Hm," Harry hummed and rubbed his cheek against Louis' belly that he was using as a pillow of sorts.

 

Louis let his fingertips trace across the back of Harry's neck, making him shiver. He dragged the blanket over Harry's shoulder gently, sighing as he rested his tablet to the side.

 

"I'm worried the guerrillas will look for us after the entrapment," he admitted.

 

Harry put his book down and looked upwards, squinting slightly against the sunlight streaming onto the porch.

 

"You think they might?"

 

Louis nodded gravely.

 

"They had pictures of us and I was leading them into a trap...not sure they're gonna be too happy about that. Along with the men that I shot dead at their hideout of course," he added roughly and he felt Harry stiffen at the mention of those deaths.

 

His hand was cupping the back of Harry's head now, his fingertips gently rubbing into his scalp while his free hand played idly with Harry's, their palms facing and fingers bending and twining, releasing and tickling in a continuous circle.

 

Harry swallowed as the memory of his torture flushed back. He ripped his hand from Louis' and shifted to sit up, back to his boyfriend while he regained steady breath.

 

"Hey..." Louis moved, too, slipping an arm around his waist and pressing his cheek to Harry's arm. "I'm getting some help...that's why we're talking about this because I want to have security until the reaction blows over."

 

Harry blinked confusedly at his lap, shucking his hair back and letting that arm fall back so he twisted a bit to face Louis.

 

"What kind of help?"

 

"A bodyguard," Louis explained. "Just one guy shadowing us for a bit."

 

Harry's eyes flared as he sucked in a surprised breath.

 

For Louis to feel like he couldn't protect them alone meant something serious was going on.

 

"Maybe I _should_ have gone with my Mom and Dad," he remarked softly.

 

Louis' lips fell apart. Because despite his assumption that Harry would leave the hospital with his parents, it still hurt to hear him admit that was the better option for him than coming home.

 

Louis let out a resigned sigh, shifting away from Harry so that they weren't connected anymore.

 

"Yeah...yeah of course," Louis murmured. "If that's what you want..."

 

Harry's brows furrowed as he pushed his head down, his back curving.

 

"I didn't mean just me," he admitted. "I want us to be safe, Lou. They won't look for us in Palm Springs."

 

Louis smirked, an ironic breath huffing out of his lips.

 

"Can't see your Mom letting me across the threshold of her house somehow, can you?"

 

Harry pressed his lips together and glanced to the side, not meeting Louis' gaze exactly but directing his attention to where Louis was positioned.

 

"Do you think it's safer for me to go?"

 

Louis knew the answer. He knew that Harry being hidden in a place the enemy would never think to look was ultimately the best protection. But now that he had him back, he didn't want to let him go somehow.

 

He squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, choosing the option that would keep Harry safe.

 

"Yeah, I do," he admitted.

 

Harry twisted to look at him properly then, an unreadable expression on his face.

 

"Okay," he sighed. "I trust your judgement. If you think it's safer..."

 

Louis smiled wanly.

 

"I do..."

 

Harry shifted again to get up, pushing his hair off his face.

 

"I'm going to call Mom and see if she'll take you in yet..."

 

Louis gave him a lop-sided wry smile.

 

"Good luck with that," he mused.

 

//

 

"She's not mad anymore."

 

Harry tugged off his t-shirt as Louis set the shower temperature, already undressed. He hummed in acknowledgement.

 

"But she said it's too soon, still." He added.

 

"I thought it might be," Louis admitted, watching Harry bend to slip off his sweats but pausing halfway in pain from his ribs. "Here let me," he added as he moved to help.

 

Louis looked up with rueful pursed lips as the material hit Harry's ankles. He arched a brow.

 

"Anything else I can do while I'm down here?" He asked lowly, one hand curling around Harry's thigh and thumbing at his soft skin. He pressed a kiss to his hip-bone.

 

Harry's breath caught but he fidgeted from foot to foot.

 

"I uh..." he hedged and Louis helped him step out of the trousers, tucking fingertips under his boxers band.

 

"No worries, Princess," Louis teased of Harry's reluctance. He was still in some degree of pain and it was early days yet after the ordeal. He managed to tug off the underwear with just a familiar smile at Harry's naked body before he got back up.

 

He closed his hand around Harry's gently.

 

"C'mon then," he guided Harry to the shower and stepped in, picking up the body wash.

 

It was always something getting to wash Harry. Always warm and slow and tender. Always sweet the way Harry would lean into him a bit or shuffle closer for kisses.

 

Although Louis expected today to be different, Harry still seemed clingy. It reminded Louis how badly he wanted to make Harry his permanently, a feeling that had been so intense when he'd burst into that hideout. He wanted to marry him and he hadn't even asked yet.

 

He was waiting for the right moment when things weren't so fragile and complicated and anyway, Louis was nudging their lips together for a kiss, wanting to taste Harry and feel him close before he left for his parents'.

 

Harry kissed back hesitantly, not fully committing himself to the union and Louis pulled away with a worried glance at his beau. Harry smiled tightly as Louis reached for shampoo.

 

"Everything okay?" Louis checked.

 

Harry nodded, eyes glancing to the floor.

 

Louis blinked in confusion at his lie. Harry didn't need to hide from him, didn't need to pretend. If he didn't want to kiss him all he had to do was say.

 

Louis curled him close just listening to his breathing and feeling his heart beat next to his skin. He stroked  a hand down the back of his wet hair.

 

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked.

 

Harry quivered in his arms but hummed an affirmative. Louis sighed out a vague 'alright' and stepped away, shampooing Harry's hair to finish their shower.

 

Watching Harry slope away in the giant fluffy towel he'd wrapped him in almost broke Louis' heart. Harry would always wrap him up in that vast material, bringing him close while they both dried off and shared sickly sweet kisses with fond crinkle-eyed smiles.

 

To watch him shuffle away quietly alone was like being stabbed in the chest with broken glass.

 

Still, Louis managed to suck back his fear and disappointment and he forced himself to move, to dress himself for the drive to Palm Springs.

 

Louis had borrowed Liam's blacked out SUV and he dressed in his usual black jeans with a turtle neck and plimsolls, pushing his hair off his face in a semi-quiff . He turned hesitantly to check if Harry was dressed and he was sitting on the bed in ripped tight jeans with a grey t-shirt.

 

"Ready?" Louis asked, uncomfortable with the sudden change in atmosphere.

 

Harry nodded and got up, his holdall filled with clothes already. Louis hadn't seen him packing and it was kind of final seeing it.

 

Louis reached to curl his hand around Harry's on top of the bag handle, to take the luggage for him and to give Harry comfort. Harry flinched a bit at the touch and Louis darted him a look, seeing Harry flick his eyes away avoiding contact.

 

"I'll carry this," he said so that Harry let go.

 

They headed to the car in heavy silence laying thickly over them like that kind of blinding fog that made it hard to breathe.

 

//

 

 

By the time they reached La Quinta just over two hours later, Louis was desperate.

 

Harry had been looking out of the window the entire ride there and his frequent attempts at starting conversation had been met with hums and mostly silence.

 

When they pulled up at the bottom of the driveway leading to Harry's parents' house, Louis jumped out to grab his bag, preventing Harry from grabbing his luggage and vanishing without even so much as a goodbye.

 

"It's not for long," Louis told him as Harry hovered at the back of the car. "Are you mad at me?"

 

Harry stared at Louis' chest, swallowing.

 

"No..."

 

"Then why won't you even talk to me?" He asked.

 

Harry shrugged.

 

"It hurts," he whispered.

 

"This isn't goodbye," Louis argued. "I promise I'll come back for you as soon as Liam gives me the green light."

 

"And when will that be?" Harry arched a brow as he lifted his hard gaze, his words accusing.

 

Louis sucked in a breath through his nose, pursing his lips.

 

"I'm not sure..."

 

"Exactly," Harry murmured as he moved around Louis to head up his path.

 

Louis followed with a quiet frown, pleased to see that the Styles family hadn't gathered on the porch to greet Harry because Louis wasn't done with him yet.

 

"Hey!" Louis called as he hastened after his boyfriend. "I love you and I want what's best for you," he pointed out.

 

Harry paused with his back to Louis, lifting his chin in some kind of rueful gesture, his hip popping outwards.

 

"You wanted to break up with me, Louis," Harry mused. "In some kind of idiotic plan to keep me 'safe'. And now you're packing me off to Palm Springs while you stay in harm's way..."

 

"I can't stay here, that's why!" Louis argued. "And you agreed! You said this was okay!"

 

Harry turned right around and stared at him.

 

"Well maybe I was wrong," he admitted. "But you won't let me come back until you say it's okay so what choice do I have anyway?"

 

Louis shook his head in some kind of confused disbelief.

 

"Harry! I didn't almost lose you once only to watch the same thing happen again, okay? I love you and I want to marry you and I can't do that until the bad guys are on lock-down."

 

Harry snorted with a roll of his eyes causing something cold and uncomfortable to roll down Louis' back.

 

"You want to marry me?" Harry repeated incredulously. "You leave me lying in a hospital bed and tell me you want out and now you decide you want to _marry_ me?"

 

"I didn't _just_ decide!" Louis barked. "You know that, you know how I feel-"

 

"I thought I did," Harry cut across Louis' hot, fast words. "But you're making it hard to know anything right now."

 

Louis put Harry's holdall to the porch floor and lowered himself to one knee, looking up with wide blue eyes, full of hope and something else; a hint of fear.

 

The way Harry was talking, he didn't want to marry Louis anymore and Louis needed to ask him just to prove himself wrong, to prove that Harry needed him as much as he needed the other man.

 

Louis needed Harry so much it scared him and yet Harry doubted him, doubted how he felt and for what? For the sake of keeping him alive, no less. It was like every moment during the car journey that brought them together when Harry argued that Louis shouldn't be doing this alone and now Louis wondered if Harry still meant it or if his feelings had changed in some way that could never go back.

 

"Louis-" Harry fidgeted, shuffling his feet and running a hand over his hair- captured in a bun at the back of his head.

 

"Will you marry me?" Louis asked with a nervous swallow.

 

Harry sighed out and looked away, into the yard.

 

"Louis, I can't-"

 

"I love you," Louis stated firmly, resolute. "And I know I want to be with you forever...the question is, do you feel the same?"

 

Louis reached forward to grasp Harry's hand. He blinked away the tears that threatened at his eyes, his throat burning in shame.

 

"Harry, do you feel the same?"

 

Harry frowned, his throat bobbing as he swallowed several times and Louis noticed the tears gathering in Harry's eyes as his hands began to quiver. He tried desperately not to force an answer, not to squeeze the words out of him but the lack of a response was more forceful than any words Harry might speak.

 

Harry began to shake his head, small but quick, his breathing gathering pace and his tears falling, plopping down on their joined hands.

 

"I can't," he repeated lowly, voice strained with tears. "Louis, I can't marry you...I-"

 

Harry was interrupted by the sound of the front door of the house opening, Anne flicking her gaze between the two men.

 

"Harry sweetheart, what's going on?" She asked concernedly of the pair of them one standing one kneeling, both trailing tears down their faces.

 

Louis felt Harry's hand slip from his and it was the ultimate rejection, the reality of his words backed up by physical signal. Louis squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth tight together until the pain almost took over the clawing in his chest.

 

He slowly stood up, brushing his hands helplessly down his thighs as he avoided looking at anything but the wood slats of the porch beneath them.

 

"I'm leaving," was what he said, the words rough with husk and thick with emotion. "That's what's happening," he added towards Anne's question. "I'm leaving and-"

 

Louis sighed, shaking his head.

 

"Yeah, I'm leaving," he affirmed and he turned towards the steps he'd just come up, walking steadily to the SUV to climb in, holding in the hiccups of pain that bubbled up inside him.

 

He pulled away with a  screech of tires, careening down the road recklessly.

 

//

 

 

Anne frowned at her son as she moved her gaze from the accelerating car back to the porch.

 

"Honey, what's really going on?" She asked.

 

Harry choked out a sob and pressed a hand to his mouth as he curled over in pain; his whole body aching with the loss.

 

He couldn't speak so he just pressed his cheek to his mom's shoulder and let her wrap him up.

 

"Oh, sweetheart," Anne hushed him as she rubbed his back. "We'll fix this, whatever it is, okay? We'll fix it..."

 

//

 

Louis was trying to get a hold of Liam but his mobile was ringing out. He called HQ to see if Kamilah had any news.

 

"Kam, where's Li?" Louis barked as she picked up.

 

"He checked in this morning, let me check the tag..." She murmured as Louis tapped his thumbs against the steering wheel.

 

Both he and Liam had consented to being tagged starting that very morning due to the insurgence from the guerrillas on the government.

 

They'd issued some very strong threats in retaliation for being baited and Louis wasn't going to quibble about being tracked.

 

"Sir...the tag isn't visible on the map," Kamilah reported.

 

"Scope it out," Louis swallowed as a worming sensation began in his gut.

 

"I've enlarged it to the US," she murmured. "No sign."

 

"Go Worldwide," Louis clipped.

 

Maybe Liam had whisked Sophia off to the Maldives or something. Oh god, he hoped so, he really-

 

"Nothing, sir," Kamilah hedged sadly.

 

Louis sucked in air.

 

"Get on the two-way, I'll dial into channel five. Let me call Sophia then I'll check in," he explained of his radio, turning the machine on to hiss gently in the background while he ordered his phone to dial Liam's girlfriend.

 

"Louis!" Sophia answered brightly. "How's Harry now?"

 

Louis shunted air out through his nose.

 

"He's fine, look Sophe-"

 

"Louis?" Sophia repeated uncertainly. "What's going on?"

 

"Do you know where Liam is today?" Louis asked.

 

The sound of heavy breathing came over the phone and Louis knew she was already panicking.

 

"Oh my god...Louis, what's going on?"

 

"I can't get hold of him and his tracker's down. He checked in at eight and went offline around twelve. Do you have any ideas where he was going today?"

 

"To find you!" She burst out.  "He was worried about Harry going home and how you'd been pushing him away..."

 

Louis swallowed. _Fuck_. That meant Liam had been at Louis' house while he was dropping Harry at his parent's and if somebody had come looking for Louis, they could have found Liam there instead.

 

"Do you know if he made it to my place, Soph?" Louis asked insistently.

 

Sophia was crying, her soft whimpers and sniffs evident in the background.

 

"I-I don't know!" She cried, voice wobbling with tears.

 

"What time did he leave your house?" Louis asked next, twiddling the radio channel into number five ready for updating Kamilah.

 

"Around ten...I think he wanted to be there for when you got back from Harry's," she managed to explain.

 

"Okay and he didn't message you when he got there? That's the last you heard of him, when he left the house?"

 

Louis took Sophia's sob as an affirmative.

 

"Soph, I'm on it right now, okay," Louis assured. "We'll find him, I promise you."

 

Sophia had broken down into full-on crying and Louis winced, knowing exactly how she felt. He pretty much felt like joining her with the way things were between him and Harry. But he had a partner to find, a best friend to save for a second time and he wasn't going to do it while he wallowed in pity.

 

"Soph, I have to go now, call your Mom and I'll get Kamilah to update you. alright?"

 

Sophia gave her agreement and Louis picked up his two-way radio speaker.

 

"TomCat on the five," he greeted. "Come in Hali," he used Kamilah's cat-call for the radio, the last four letters of her name spelled backwards.

 

"Roger that sir, what have you got?" She asked all businesslike and Louis was so grateful for his team in moments like this when he wanted to rip his hair out and break down screaming.

 

"He left Bakersfield at ten intending to go to my place in Burbank," Louis glided off the interstate as he let his thumb lift off the tannoy.

 

"He should have been there around twelve," Kamilah filled the gap for him.

 

"But he went offline," Louis observed. "And I wasn't due back until around one so it's almost like-" Louis let up the button, mind whirring.

 

"He stopped off somewhere before your place," Kamilah completed his thought. "And someone swiped him off the face of the earth before he made it there..."

 

Louis grimaced.

 

"They would have searched him for bugs right off the bat," Louis agreed, not even considering an alternative for Liam's disappearance.

 

All he needed to do now was work out what the guerrillas wanted and how to barter for Liam's safe return before they had a chance to hurt him more than they already had.

 

"I've got the curator's contact details, I'm sending them across now," Kamilah narrated and Louis acknowledged the bleep on his cell; his hands free kit still intact as he headed home to search for clues.

 

"Alright, stay on the radio," Louis instructed.

 

"Yes, sir," Kamilah replied. "I'll see if the guerrillas have any demands," she added before she signed out.

 

//

 

Harry's heart was probably breaking and he couldn't even blame anybody because it was entirely his own doing.

 

The last few days had left a dark, painful mark on him and sometimes he couldn't justify the way he reacted; but hearing Louis admit he wanted to walk away and then pushing him away the exact same way he had when they'd first met reminded Harry of all that fear and insecurity he'd gone through at the start.

 

Louis proposing to him had been his ultimate dream but his timing had been so completely off; it made him cringe inwardly in memory.

 

The truth was, ever since Harry had watched Louis put a bullet into a man's body without a second's thought; he'd felt weird about things, about _them_ , specifically.

 

He still wanted to kiss Louis forever and he knew deep down that his distress over the traumatic incident was causing his lack of reciprocation with all things sexual; but he couldn't deny that watching Louis in machine-mode brought back some dark memories.

 

And Harry _thought_ he was okay with it, he'd told Louis as much when he'd confessed to a past killing men like the guerrillas but actually _seeing_ it...

 

Harry sighed, lifting his head and bashing it back into his pillow.

 

Actually seeing it had been something else. And along with being battered beyond recognition. Well, Harry just needed to be somewhere he could let all of those emotions fade away, somewhere he could soothe his raging mind and recharge his batteries.

 

And when he'd come to terms with the fact that his boyfriend killed bad people maybe they could sort things out. Because having to tell Louis he wasn't ready to marry him- in fact not even having the courage to explain that was why he said no- was killing him slowly inside.

 

His mom's hugs and reassurances had slid off him like water on oil. He knew that the kidnapping was all his own fault and that his physical assault could have been avoided and that Louis had no part in it. Anne had actually let him explain that earlier and she had softened towards Louis once more, realising the truth of the situation.

 

Harry was glad because when a call came for him; he wasn't entirely sure she would have called up the stairs for him otherwise.

 

He loped down with a yawn, tugging up his pajama pants and pulling down his tee shirt. He rubbed a hand absent mindedly against his sore ribs.

 

"Who is it?" He mumbled as Anne held up the receiver for him, still having an old fashioned wired landline.

 

He was curious since he had his cell and no activity had taken place on it- not even a message from Louis.

 

"Sophia?" Anne posed in question.

 

Instantly Harry's heart beat double-time, his brows furrowing. He took the handset with quickened breath.

 

"Sophia?" He greeted.

 

"Harry I'm sorry," Sophia apologised. "I was going to call your mobile but I don't know if it's safe..."

 

Harry's breath caught then, his heart thundering.

 

"It's okay," he assured breathily. "What's-What's going on?"

 

Anne hovered by the sofa, glancing at him carefully and he flicked his worried green eyes towards her to help soothe his already-frayed nerves.

 

Sophia's words were garbled around a sob.

 

"They've got Liam!" She told him. "He went to see Louis after he dropped you off and-" She sucked in air, sounding like she was hyperventilating. "They lost his tracker," she added quietly. "We don't know if he made it."

 

Harry blinked, one, two, three times before his brain clicked into auto-mode.

 

"Louis?" He asked in a whisper.

 

"He's okay," Sophia assured and Harry felt his knees give way, stumbling to the floor on his knees.

 

Two words yet the best two Harry had heard.

 

"What are they doing?" He asked. "Do they know where Liam is?"

 

Sophia cried for a bit, sniffling as she regained composure.

 

"They don't know where, they just know it's them," she shared. "They've made contact," she added.

 

Harry ducked his head low, chin to his chest.

 

"Do you want me to come over?" He asked then, wanting to offer some comfort to the other girl since he'd feel distraught if it were the other way around and it was Louis who was missing again.

 

Sophia told him that her family were there but she'd stay in touch by phone if there was any news and Harry couldn't help wondering;

 

"Um, Sophia?" His voice was low and quiet.

 

"Hm?"

 

"Where's Louis?" He asked softly, not wanting to belittle her fear for Liam.

 

"Kamilah said he's back at base to barter for Liam's release," she told him. "Did you-is everything okay?" She checked.

 

Harry closed his eyes. _Fuck_. No everything was _not_ okay. But it was his fault, yet again. He'd pushed Louis away and now, faced with another threat to his safety nothing else mattered as much as having Louis in his arms.

 

It wasn't like he didn't know that. Being thrown into a cell and beaten half to death and being shit-scared for Louis' life had taught him that only he hadn't learned the lesson. He hadn't even been listening.

 

Because Louis was back there probably considering going back to Mexico to sacrifice himself in Liam's place; and he'd only do it because he'd be working under the assumption Harry didn't want him anymore. He'd be assuming Liam had someone that loved him while Louis didn't.

 

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

 

"I need to call Louis," Harry told Sophia and he gently replaced the receiver to the handset, his hands quivering as Anne's touch surrounded him, her arms embracing him gently.

 

"Harry, has someone else been hurt?" She asked softly.

 

Harry picked up the receiver and dialled Louis' work number, breaths snorted out of his nose.

 

"TomCat HQ, Kamilah speaking, how can I help?"

 

Harry swallowed.

 

"Kamilah? Is he still there?" Harry asked.

 

He heard a pause.

 

"Harry...it's not a good time," she admitted. "He's trying to talk to the guerrillas now, trying to get them to even consider a barter."

 

Harry sighed.

 

"Please don't let him go back," he pleaded quietly. "Don't let him get a plane to Mexico again..."

 

"He's going back," Kami shared. "He already told me that, made me promise not to tell you either.

 

Harry sucked in a shocked breath. Louis was going to Mexico? Because of him? To get hurt because of Harry? Because Harry had rejected his proposal?

 

"Kamilah?" His voice began to quiver, thick where his throat was tight.

 

"Yes, Harry?"

 

"Can you tell him that I love him, please?" He begged hoarsely. "And tell him to call me when he can," he added. "Please."

 

Kami nodded an agreement that Harry somehow understood with her hum.

 

"I have to go, we need the landline free," she explained.

 

Harry hung up and looked at his mom, his face pale.

 

"The guerrilla's came back for Liam and Louis is trying to reason with them." He summarised with a worried frown.

 

Anne gave him a sympathetic look and hugged him harder.

 

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. We thought it was over..."

 

Harry shook his head against her shoulder, hugging her back.

 

"Louis knew it wasn't...he put me here to keep me safe."

 

"Seems like he did the right thing," Anne admitted. "I'm just sorry another one of your friends had to be taken instead."

 

Harry pulled away, running a hand through his hair.

 

"I turned Louis down," he admitted then softly. "When you came out on the porch he asked me to marry him and I-"

 

Harry choked out a sound of disbelief and shock.

 

"I told him I couldn't marry him...Mom, I told Louis I couldn't marry him..."

 

Anne watched Harry pace up and down, a mass of emotional energy buzzing back and forth.

 

"You can make things right, honey," Anne soothed. "You can tell him as soon as he calls..."

 

Harry glanced at her.

 

"He's going back to Mexico to get Liam, Mom. He's going back and-" Harry choked himself off from finishing that thought. "What if he decides not to call? What if he thinks we're done for good?"

 

Anne smiled kindly at him.

 

"Sweetheart, I can see you two are in this for the long run," she observed. "You've had a very traumatic experience and he'll understand when you explain."

 

Harry gazed at her with wide eyes in his pale face.

 

"That's even if I get the chance," he whispered before tears began to trail down his face once more.

 

//

 

There's a feeling in the pit of your stomach when you know something bad is happening.

 

Sometimes it's the fear of losing something that's valuable to you- realising your treasured mobile is missing or your bank card's not where it should be. Sometimes it's a sensation around groups of people in dark or disguising clothing late at night smoking and drinking. Occasionally it's the split-second were your mind tricks you, thinking you saw something move when it was just a shadow or a reflection.

 

Liam knows though that this is not one of those moments. He knows that the sinking feeling in is belly is very real and very accurate.

 

He is going to die. And there is nothing he can do about it.

 

//

 

Harry was face-down in his pillow when the heavy bass of his garage-themed ringtone started up. He tried to ignore it, his brain not fully working until the third set of ringing started.

 

Then he lifted his head with a sucked-in gasp and scrabbled on the bed, wincing when his ribs protested.

 

"Shit, shit..." he muttered lowly as he kicked away his duvet to reach for the bedside table, answering with a breathy; "Louis?"

 

The line was kind of static and eerily quiet.

 

"Louis, is that you?" He asked again, his heart thundering in his chest.

 

"Harry, it's Kam," Louis' agent replied and-

 

Oh god.

 

Oh _god_.

 

_Please don't let this be it, don't let this be the call Harry had always dreaded receiving._

 

"Kam?" He whispered beggingly in question.

 

"I don't know even know what to say..." The woman began with a shaky voice.

 

Harry's breathing had started to spike, he reminded himself not to pass out before the words were spoken.

 

"Just tell me," he braved. "Please, I'd rather just know-"

 

"It's Liam," she said and even without the slide into emotional tears, Harry knew exactly what those words meant.

 

"What?" He whispered anyway, frowning. "What...no... _no_! This can't be happening...where's Louis? Is Louis alright?" He tumbled out desperately, choking on his own shocked tears.

 

"He didn't make it to the plane, let alone into Mexico," Kamilah explained through her hiccupping sobs. "He didn't stand a chance of saving him, they'd already decided that somebody had to die and-"

 

Harry sucked in air.

 

"It should have been me," he realised. The gang had taken him to get ransom that was never paid. By double-crossing them Louis had given them a reason to get mad but-

 

But Liam hadn't done anything wrong. Harry had done something wrong by going there at all, by putting them all in worse danger.

 

"Harry don't say that," Kamilah begged. "Nobody deserves to die like that."

 

"Kam?" He cleared his throat, swiping away tears with the back of his thumb. "Where's Louis?"

 

He heard her sigh.

 

"I'm not-" A swallow. "I'm not actually completely sure right now," she hedged. "The tracking device on his jacket was deactivated five minutes after he went outside for a smoke. We can't find him," she added quietly.

 

Harry's heart started tripping over itself as his lungs packed up.

 

"They could have gotten to him!" He urged, rolling out of bed and hissing as he hit the floor inelegantly. "Fuck, he could be hurt or-"

 

"The war is over, Harry," Kamilah interjected softly. "They just wanted a life to pay for the shame they suffered. It should never have come to this, the government were supposed to protect us!" She fumed. "They were supposed to protect him," she repeated sadly as she melted into sniffles.

 

"I have to find him," Harry husked, gripping his handset tightly. "I can't just- Fuck!" He roared, taking the cell away from his ear while he made angry gestures at himself. "I can't just leave him out there alone."

 

Kami hummed.

 

"He didn't look good when he got back from Bob Hope," she admitted.

 

"That's his best friend in the world," Harry emphasised, hot tears skidding across his skin, pooling on his chin. "Jesus, he loves him so much..."

 

"Max is here," Kami offered. "Do you want me to send him over to help you look?"

 

Harry shook his head and sucked up his tears.

 

"I have to go home, Louis needs me and he'll come home eventually," he decided.

 

"Alright Harry, keep in touch," she asked.

 

Harry winced, a thought flitting through his mind.

 

"Kam? Has Sophia been informed?" He wondered.

 

Kamilah agreed in a wobbly hum.

 

"That's the hardest thing I've ever had to do," she admitted. "And the police are following up with an official report for her but-"

 

"That's the love of her life," Harry echoed Kamilah's thoughts.

 

Suddenly the sharp stinging pain in his chest wasn't over the fact that Louis had hidden him here, had saved him from a very real danger he'd had no idea would go anywhere close to Liam but in actual fact, Louis had saved himself, too. Harry would give anything to have Liam back but he wouldn't give up Louis and the realisation of it just reminded him how much he needed Louis beside him, right now, reassuring him that everything would be okay.

 

How could anything be okay when Harry had shunned him?

 

He shook his head with a whined cry, the call ending and his phone slipping from his fingers. Anne had slipped into the room to check on him and hugged him tightly while he told the sorry story, shaking so hard he couldn't even pack his own bag.

 

He had to sit on a chair in the corner while Anne packed his things and even then she woke up Robin to drive him the two hours back to Burbank.

 

Harry curled himself up into his grey jumper and beanie, sobbing through the entire car journey home.

 

//

 

Sliding his bag down by the bedroom door, Harry barely remembered the lasting hug Robin had given him; his words to 'take care of himself' like a dream long forgotten.

 

The house was so empty without Louis there, it felt cold and abandoned.

 

Harry put the heating on and switched on soft lights before he showered, changing into sweat pants and another jumper over a tee-shirt, pulling socks onto his big, awkward feet.

 

He stared at the door with a cushion folded in his arms until he drifted back to sleep and the sound of it unlocking hardly roused him.

 

He felt a hand smooth over his thigh.

 

"Louis?" He mumbled quietly, voice broken with the amount he'd cried.

 

He threw away the cushion and opened his arms and eyes, watching a small, dishevelled man crawl into the space between his thighs, curling up against his body.

 

"Louis," he kissed the top of his head, tightening his arms. "Oh god, I was so worried, thank god you're okay..."

 

Louis shook his head against Harry's chest and burrowed closer.

 

"I know," Harry hummed softly, letting him hide. "I know, babe, it's okay," he assured. "I'm here now, okay? I'm not leaving."

 

Harry thought it was important that Louis knew that, that anything Louis needed from him, he was willing to give it.

 

"Shh, now," Harry stroked through his hair gently as Louis began to cry quietly into his jumper. "It hurts, I know," he whispered.

 

He let Louis cry out his hurt until he was too tired to do anything but sleep in the safety of his strong arms.

 

"I'm not leaving," he told the unconscious man even though Louis didn't hear it. "I'm here for good."

 

 

//

 

Harry hadn't really slept. He'd kept his big hands spread on Louis little body and pressed kisses to his hair.

 

But he didn't think Louis had really slept either from his frequent wriggles and sighs. When Louis yawned Harry wanted to kiss him for how cute he was.

 

"I didn't think you'd be here," Louis said and-

 

Maybe it was the way Harry's hands incrementally stroked his back that had clued Louis off that he was listening.

 

"I came straight home," Harry said.

 

Louis smiled wanly.

 

"It's home here?" He checked.

 

Harry nodded into his slightly too-long hair.

 

"You make this feel like home to me," he shared.

 

"When I walked in and I saw you laying there-:

 

Louis sighed.

 

Harry hummed against his hair.

 

"Louis I'll always be here for you no matter what." Harry assured.

 

"I just-" Louis broke off. "After the way we left things...I wasn't sure," he admitted.

 

"And it kills me to think I caused you to doubt me," Harry replied. "But let's not worry about that now," he added. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

 

Louis yawned again, shifting until his side met the sofa so that he and Harry were still facing each other.

 

"I can't even sleep but my eyes hurt," Louis said hoarsely.

 

"It's okay," Harry used his free hand to rub Louis' back. "You can just lay here if you want."

 

Louis' brows furrowed his thin lips pressing together.

 

"You sure?"

 

Harry hummed and the sound was marred by an emotional whine trying to break free from Harry's throat. Harry tampered it down trying to stay strong for Louis.

 

Louis settled a bit, tucking into him.

 

"Thank you for coming home Haz," Louis mumbled into his top.

 

Harry swallowed down the lump in his throat. He should have been here all along; it should be him dead somewhere for helping a corrupt government maintain power over the masses and not Liam. Not poor Liam who had only come to check on Louis to make sure that he and Harry were okay. Even that was Harry's fault because he'd gotten upset at the thought of Louis leaving again and he'd not known how to cope so he'd just hidden inside himself instead of admitting his fears.

 

He knew Louis couldn't be truly thankful because deep down he must blame Harry somehow but for now Louis hadn't worked it out and Harry wanted to treasure their moments together until he did.

 

"Ditto," Harry murmured as Louis breathed against him. "Fucking ditto."

 

//

 

The way that they folded together was slow and urgent.

 

On the second waking they'd looked at each other with tired eyes and soft smiles at finding the other alive and right there, no excuses between them to stay apart.

 

It was like death itself reminded you that life was fragile and it needed proving that blood pumped through your veins that your existence wasn't an imaginary scene.

 

"Love you," Harry murmured as his lips pressed down Louis' throat; his big body atop his lover's, braced by his arms. "Love you so damn much..."

 

Louis' reply was a whimpered pant, his body squirming under Harry's. Harry took advantage of the movement to pin Louis' thighs open trying to find a home between them, trying to make roots there and with his tongue against Louis' skin. 

 

"Love you," Harry mumbled between laps of Louis' throat before kissing lower and flicking his roughened tongue over Louis' nipples.

 

"Can you just fucking kiss me already?" Louis rasped clutching Harry's back as he moved back over him to join their lips.

 

The kiss resulted in Louis widening his thighs and linking his ankles behind Harry's backside; pressing his knees into his sides to keep him there tight and secure.

 

"Yeah?" Harry broke the kiss to whisper lowly in his ear.

 

Louis cupped his cheek to bring him back to that kiss, breathing 'yeah' against Harry's tongue.

 

//

 

"Missed this...missed you so much," Harry rubbed his slight stubble against Louis' cheek as he thrust into him, his own face flushing hotly at the way Louis groaned his named throatily.

 

"Ah-yes! Ha-ah!" Louis choked his affirmation out in choppy sounds and half words, reaching between them to get a hand around himself.

 

"Don't think so," Harry moved Louis' hand to his belly and took over stroking him in rhythm with his hips.

 

"Don't you-" Louis gasped, one hand curling tightly around Harry's bicep as he fucked in deep, circling his hips at the same time he twisted his hand around Louis' hardness.

 

"Don't what?" Harry murmured.

 

His sweat-damp hair fell in messy crinkled curls over his face which was also wet with the exertion of holding himself above Louis to fill him this way, masterful and slow enough to send them both mad. It had been too long and it wasn't under the best circumstances but they were together and so close nothing could break them apart and that was all that mattered.

 

"Yeah," Harry whispered, letting out a little gurgle of satisfaction followed by a needy whine as Louis arched his hips up, drawing him deeper to tighten around him.

 

Louis smirked in satisfaction at getting something back here, at not letting Harry have all the fun entirely to himself.

 

Harry's thrusts became shallow, faster and driven, his lips brushing Louis' chin.

 

"Should have said yes," he mumbled, face creasing as his breath caught when Louis sank a hand into his hair and slid the other onto his butt to squeeze there.

 

"C'mon Kitten, stop talking," Louis teased huskily, pushing up onto him to try and take him deeper but Harry seemed determined to stay off.

 

Harry looked into his eyes, breath hot as it fell on Louis' face, puffing over his cheeks and onto his lashes.

 

"I should have said yes," he repeated more clearly, hips slowing as he curled his arms around Louis' shoulders and screwed in slow and deep, every inch a perfectly pleasurable reminder as to what they had missed.

 

Louis' lips parted, his eyes widened and he gave into the urge to moan loudly as Harry repeated his slow screw, filling him right up.

 

"Fuck! Fuck don't do that, don't-"

 

Louis gave up his begging as Harry's hand lazily sped up on his length, determined to finish him as he went deep again, puffing out a happy breath against Louis' ear.

 

"Gotcha," he teased softly and Louis couldn't deny it, not in the way his body responded to Harry's nor in the way he wanted him so badly, still after all they'd been through and all that had happened.

 

"Harry," he whimpered; squeezing his eyes tight shut as Harry's damp forehead pressed to his and the pretty soft tickle of his hair brushed his face.

 

"Marry me," Harry demanded gruffly as he drove deeper and faster into him.

 

"Talk later," Louis rushed out, arching up and clinging on desperately to Harry's body, arms wrapped around his middle and fingers biting into his back.

 

"Not until you say yes," Harry insisted, thumbing over Louis' head and enjoying his grunt of pleasure far too much.

 

"Alright!" Louis gasped in high pitched desperation. "Yes, okay? Fucking yes..."

 

"I'll give you fucking yes," Harry mused, flicking his hips to bring Louis to his peak, slowly stroking him through it before letting his own pleasure reign and he filled Louis with his seed while Louis choked out cursed accusations mostly about how Harry had blackmailed him into accepting his proposal.

 

Harry rolled onto his side but he refused to loosen his arms so Louis had to roll with him and settle against him somewhat.

 

"It's my own fault for letting you go, I agree," Harry conceded. "But it's not like I didn't want to marry you," he hedged.

 

Louis blinked.

 

"You said no, Kitten," Louis reminded him softly with a lip-press that told Harry a hell of a lot about the hurt Louis had felt over that.

 

"I was just scared of losing you again," he admitted. "And how you were pushing me away," he added. "And-"

 

Louis thumbed over his jaw tenderly.

 

"And what, babe?"

 

Harry looked at him, worry lining his features. He sighed.

 

"And I found it hard," he began carefully. "Watching you hurt people...seeing you _kill_ people," he confessed. "I kind of wondered if I even knew you at all and if-"

 

Harry rolled his eyes as he stopped short again.

 

"If," Louis prompted him again gently.

 

"I didn't feel good about things," he rephrased. "I couldn't avoid sex forever but I just wasn't feeling it, you know?"

 

Louis' brow arced slightly.

 

"It wasn't just the pain you were in and what they did to you?" He checked.

 

Harry shook his head, inadvertently Eskimo-kissing Louis who was so close he didn't know who was stickier of the two of them. It was just soft and warm and really, really tight.

 

"I'm okay now," he added with a tiny, wry smile.

 

Louis huffed out a breath.

 

"Figured," he observed. "But if you feel like this again I need you to tell me, Kitten," Louis added worriedly, flicking his gaze over Harry's face as he blushed a bit and looked down.

 

"I wasn't sure how to say it." He admitted. "I'm not even sure I knew that was the problem at the start. And by time I worked it out, you were packing me off to my mom's and-"

 

"How is she by the way?" Louis asked.

 

"She's good," he hummed. "Think you're forgiven now."

 

"I was pissed at the situation with my mom, too," Harry added. "I guess I took that out on you."

 

Louis snorted.

 

"Well, you chose me over your own flesh and blood and I acted like you shouldn't have bothered," Louis accepted. "I hurt you, too," he acknowledged.

 

Harry nodded but didn't say anything, just swallowed slowly.

 

"Did you mean it?" He asked hesitantly.

 

Louis frowned.

 

"Hm?"

 

"When you-" Harry sucked in air. "When you said yes," he managed to finish his thought.

 

Louis' brows lifted and a smile began to slip across his lips.

 

"Yeah, I think I did."

 

Harry rolled his eyes.

 

"I mean you didn't just say it in the heat of the moment, did you?" He checked.

 

Louis smirked.

 

"It was one hell of a moment."

 

Harry nuzzled him, placing a very gentle kiss on his lips.

 

"But you meant it, right?" He begged.

 

Louis nodded, hypnotised into kissing him, letting the sweet flush of victory scatter over him.

 

Harry was his _fiancé_. Fuck. _Finally_.

 

Louis felt Harry tuck himself lower, against his chest.

 

"Can we just stay in bed a bit more?" He asked.

 

"Hmm," Louis rubbed his back gently, kissing his curls. "For as long as you want."

 

//

 

Breakfast was quiet as the reality of all that was forgotten in the heat of desire came creeping back with icy cold clarity.

 

Harry was feeding himself his cereal while Louis had only coffee, not able to face eating anything.

 

"I'm so sorry Louis," Harry expressed as he reached for his juice.

 

He could see the sadness in Louis' eyes, he could feel the pain emanating from him in waves. And yet Louis was stoic, keeping a straight face, but for what?

 

Harry was his life-long partner, they'd agreed that much last night so if Louis couldn't messy-cry in front of him then what was the use?

 

Louis nodded his acknowledgement of Harry's words.

 

"How did he-" Harry paused. "Do you know how it happened?" He rephrased carefully.

 

Louis got up from his seat and not knowing what to do with his hands he rubbed them over the front of his thighs.

 

He'd changed into sweats and a t-shirt much like Harry had.

 

"It was an execution," Louis shared, dipping his chin.

 

Harry got up from his chair and trailed across the kitchen floor to where Louis had paused and he pressed himself to Louis' back as he pulled him back gently to his chest, arms locking around him.

 

"It's not your fault if that's what you're thinking," Harry offered.

 

Louis just breathed, no words, no noises fell from his lips.

 

"I can't believe their government let you be the fall guys for this. Dressing it up as an art heist doesn't hide the fact they planned to over-power the guerrillas and take control of the city but they didn't have to put you and Liam in harm's way." Harry argued to himself.

 

"I was so close to just jumping on a plane to get out there," Louis ventured then, quiet and soft. "And I was torn because I knew you wouldn't want me out there in danger again but I had to try and get to Liam, somehow..."

 

"It's okay," Harry's lips brushed the edge of Louis' ear as a big hand rubbed up and down his chest comfortingly.

 

"And it's like because I didn't see it happen it's not real, you know? It's not really real and they're just playing some stupid game and any second now Liam's going to pull up outside here and knock on the door and ask me if I sorted us out yet, he's going to-" Louis sighed shakily.

 

Harry held him tighter.

 

"Shh, it's okay," he soothed.

 

Louis blinked back some tears.

 

"How on earth will Sophia cope without him?" He asked forlornly.

 

"I don't know," Harry hummed. "But she won't be alone. She has the both of us for a start."

 

"I wonder if she wants me to go and stay for a while," Louis considered.

 

Harry kissed behind his ear.

 

"If you do I'm coming wit you." he warned lowly.

 

Louis sighed.

 

"What the fuck was I thinking when I made you leave?" He mused.

 

"You saved my life Louis," Harry pointed out.

 

Louis swallowed bitterly.

 

"And I lost Liam his."

 

Harry splayed his hand wide on his sternum.

 

"Thought I just told you that it's not your fault." He murmured.

 

"If I'd been home they would have taken me," Louis said.

 

"Or me," Harry reminded.

 

Louis sagged from his tense position. He wouldn't have been able to choose who he'd prefer to lose out of Harry and Liam but he knew there was nothing he could do about what had happened. Liam had the same inside information that Louis had; he knew the dangers and the risks more than anyone.

 

And yet still, a world where his friend's constant assured teasing and unending support was no longer the norm was a world he found hard to picture living in.

 

Louis didn't give into the pain sweeping over his chest, leaving it hard to breathe.

 

He could still remember the similar flare of pain from thinking Harry didn't want to marry him and now within a matter of days they were back where they started; only the memories had faded from their fight; the feelings had been buried. Still, Louis couldn't think about his loss right now, he couldn't let that feeling overwhelm him and so he tampered it down until it didn't burn at him anymore.

 

"Can we invite Sophia to stay with us?" Louis looked up at Harry then, eyes blood-shot from holding back his tears.

 

"Yeah." Harry kissed his lips softly. "Yeah of course we can."

 

As Louis gently twisted away from him to head towards the sofa, Harry couldn't help his concerned pout, a furrow digging between his brows.

 

 

" I think she needs us right now and she's like family to me..."

 

Harry nodded even though he had his reservations about Louis refusing to grieve over Liam. It was still so soon, so fresh and raw. It would take days, maybe weeks to really sink in and Harry needed to let Louis grieve at his own pace.

 

"She's welcome here as long as she likes," he assured of Sophia's presence in their home.

 

Louis smiled over the back of the sofa.

 

"You like an audience do you?" He joked.

 

Harry grinned.

 

"You're not going to be getting any to show an audience," He promised with a smirk.

 

Louis smiled back until the sadness seeped back into his eyes and he wriggled in his seat, the curve falling from his lips to put them into a tense straight line.

 

"I'm going to call Sophia," he excused himself from the sofa; and room, quietly.

 

//

 

 

Harry took time away from the office to spend with Louis at the house in the days after.

 

Sophia had gone home to stay with her parents and Harry hated seeing Louis look so forlorn- so hopeless- that he couldn't just sit by and let him sink into that feeling.

 

He made him walk around the park every day after cooking a deliberately stodgy lunch; just so Louis would feel the need to exercise it off. He let Louis mope and play video-games and slouch in the afternoons and then he'd accompany him on the sofa in the evenings, curling into him since Louis hadn't needed Harry's strong hold on him as yet.

 

The inevitable slap of realisation came the day after the funeral.

 

It had been a sombre affair, Liam had had a military-style send off with a flag draped over his coffin and Louis and Max as two of the six pall bearers along with Liam's father and Uncle and two of his friends.

 

Louis had tightly hugged Sophia through most of it with Harry pressing a gentle hand to Louis' back in quiet support while dashing away his own tears and he'd grasped Louis' hand firmly during the wake.

 

It took a news report on the situation in Mexico to have Louis standing from the sofa and marching tersely to the kitchen under the guise to make tea.

 

Liam's executioners had not been found and the situation was so volatile the government wouldn't be continuing to seek the identity of the man who pulled the trigger. The war against the guerrillas had been reignited and they were all going down for the sake of Liam's murder.

 

Louis' hands were shaking as he put out two mugs, resolutely placing tea-bags in them and sloshing in milk.

 

He hadn't slept properly in three days, his eyes were puffy, his hair was a mess and he felt fragile somehow, not eating properly and not leaving the house even for Harry's park walks.

 

He could feel Harry watching him carefully from over the back of the sofa and he managed to fill the two cups successfully but when he turned to take the tea over to his beau, the full-colour picture of Liam broadcast across the television screen hit him hard and sudden in the chest.

 

_Liam wasn't coming back._

 

And there was nothing he could do about it.

 

The cups slipped from his fingers, circling downwards until they hit the linoleum floor; shattering loudly and splashing hot liquid messily up his shins and onto the cupboards.

 

"Lou!" Harry called, jumping out of his seat to rush over, grabbing a towel and pressing it to the bottom of his sweats. "Is it hot?" He worried. "Is it burning?"

 

Louis choked, curling forward to press the heels of his hands against his eyes as if it might stop the flow of tears that needed to come. He shook his head but it wasn't to deny that the tea was hot on his skin, it was to reject the idea that the whole world knew of Liam's demise because that meant it was real.

 

And Louis didn't want it to be real.

 

Harry gave up trying to save his burned skin, straightening to enclose Louis into his arms. Louis didn't lower his hands from his face, pressed wholly into Harry's body, tight in his embrace.

 

"Lou, I'm so sorry," Harry whispered, helpless for what to do to help his fiancé accept this harsh and painful truth.

 

Louis' sobs were testament to how long he'd kept this in, the pain and anger the hurt and loss. Harry would hold him for hundred years if need be. Anything to stop Louis' pain.

 

After some time of Louis sobbing against him, Harry picked him up and carried him to the sofa, settling down with him curled against his body; his arms having no better place to be than around him while he sniffled and shyly wiped his wet nose against his thumb knuckle.

 

"I just can't believe he's gone," Louis whispered.

 

"I know," Harry hummed, cradling him close with his big hands spanning Louis' back.

 

"He and Sophia were like my family and-"

 

"It hurts," Harry finished for him.

 

Louis nodded.

 

"I don't know how I'll manage without him," he shared. "I don't know that I can..."

 

"You can," Harry assured. "Louis, you're so good at the detective work and I know it won't be the same without your buddy but you're strong, remember? You kept me strong, too," Harry kissed his temple.

 

Louis was shaking his head as more hot tears rolled down his face, his throat working against the painful ache there.

 

"He was the rock, not me."

 

Harry cradled him a bit, shh'ing him softly.

 

"I'll be your rock now, Lou. I promise, I'm here for you, always."

 

Louis gave into the quiet sobs that hurt him so much more than his loud outburst from before. But Harry was there holding him together, holding him tight and whispering quiet words to reassure him.

 

Louis realised in that moment that Liam's death couldn't be in vain. He had to make something good come out of this, he had to create a positive.

 

Liam had encouraged him to fulfill his philanthropic ideals after his last heist but Louis had chosen to do private detective work instead, finding his need for action too great to ignore.

 

Now he wondered how he could use the profits from TomCat to create a charity that Liam would be proud of.

 

"I can make him proud of me," Louis said out loud, his face lifting from Harry's chest.

 

Harry's gentle fingers stroked back his fringe.

 

"He already is, Lou," he kissed his cheek.

 

Louis smiled softly at Harry's sweet intentions, not knowing of Louis' plan yet. Louis shifted a bit and cupped his cheek.

 

"No," he huffed with an amused sniffle. "I mean, I can do something good...I can give back somehow, I can make that charity I always talked about..."

 

Harry's brow rose and his lips parted.

 

"Oh! Louis, that's a great idea," he enthused. "Liam was always wanting you to set something up..."

 

"I know," Louis wriggled into a better sitting position, albeit between Harry's thighs still. "But what's a good idea? What can we do that Liam would be proud of?"

 

Harry smirked a bit.

 

"Well, you know what he was always saying, don't you?"

 

Louis frowned. He couldn't remember.

 

Harry rolled his eyes.

 

"He wanted us to do something with kids," he embellished. "He used to tease us about getting broody one day..."

 

Louis smiled in remembrance, leaning up to kiss Harry's jaw.

 

"You already are," he accused fondly.

 

Harry blushed and flipped his hair back, twisting his lips a bit.

 

"The point is, the charity he wanted us to help is called Variety. I already started making in-roads with them in relation to partnering with Straight Up on some of our fund-raisers."

 

Louis shifted about in Harry's lap until he was straddling him, arms wrapped around his shoulders.

 

"We can do this then?" He breathed. "I can give them a monthly support payment and offer volunteers if they need it."

 

Harry tightened his arms around Louis' waist.

 

"We can do this, Louis. For Liam, we can do this."

 

Louis leaned back and kissed very tenderly onto Harry's lips, cupping his face as he did so. He pressed their foreheads together with a sigh.

 

"I love you, you know that, right?"

 

Harry smiled, his dimples reaching full potential this time.

 

"I love you, too, Louis."

 

Louis kissed him again firmly, giggling as Harry's arms tightened around him until he had no choice but to curl up against him.

 

"Love you so much," Louis promised.

 

Harry cupped the back of his head and let his fingers brush through the strands of his hair.

 

"Always," Harry promised back and it was one word that Louis loved hearing.

 

_Always._

 

Like forever only better because Harry said it that way.

 

"Always," Louis repeated softly against his shoulder.

 

 

 


End file.
